GOP Senators Fault Trump Policy For Syria Chemical Weapons Attack

[TomCADem]

Source: TPM

After a brutal chemical weapons attack killed dozens of civilians, including many children, in northern Syria, Republican and Democratic senators on Capitol Hill are blaming the Trump administration for sending signals that encouraged the Syrian regime to "act with impunity."

"This is what obviously happens when the United States of America doesn't behave in a way that [shows] we care about human rights and the needless deaths of innocent people," Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) fumed to reporters on Tuesday, the day of the attack. "When the Secretary of State says that the Syrian people will decide their own future, that sends a signal to Bashar al Assad that he can do whatever he wants with impunity. It encourages the brutality and mass murder."

More senators piled on the administration's response in a press conference Wednesday, saying Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's recent suggestion that the U.S. is now open to Bashar al Assad's continued rule in Syria is emboldening the regime to wage war against its own people.

"If you're Bashar al Assad and you read that it's no longer a priority of the United States to have you removed from power, I believe that's an incentive to act with impunity," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) told reporters Wednesday.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/marco-rubio-donald-trump-syria-tillerson-chemical-weapons

[NewJeffCT]

1. hmm, are these senators glancing at the tanking approval ratings?

of Team Trump?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Yup. Rubio the weather vane has edged away from tRump. Muslim ban affects all tourism esp Fla.

[Bradical79]

19. Probably easy decision for Rubio

After the primaries, I imagine he's always keeping an eye out for ways to stab at Trump without upsetting his base too much.

[moonscape]

21. "Rubio the weather vane" - love it! n/t

[George II]

2. Tillerson basically gave Assad carte blanche to wage war on his own citizens....

...by any means necessary.

trump tried to blame Obama for this, but it's all his and Tillerson's doing. I'm really glad that even republican Senators are recognizing this.

[jberryhill]

4. Shades of April Glaspie

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Obama asked Republicons necessary permissions & Rs refused which is what tRump urged in 2013.

[David__77]

11. Democrats also refused.

And the polls also opposed US military action. Thankfully Obama took no military action. Hopefully Trump will follow that example.

[furtheradu]

12. I agree with Your points

I'll add: tillerson needs to leave his position IMMEDIATELY.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Haul Tillerson in for House and Senate hearings

and make him testify under oath. Do some "oversight". Where is Trey Gowdy?

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Gee that did not take long.

for McConnell and Company to go after their selected so called President. And with Friday being the big day for McConnell and his gang to blow up the Senate,well next years Election will get damn interesting.

[BainsBane]

8. Impeach the asshole already!

[cstanleytech]

9. Put your money where your mouth is McCain and oppose

Trump on other important issues as well that will have a long term impact like his SCOTUS nominee otherwise this is simply more grandstanding on your part.

[Beartracks]

10. How many civilians has Trump killed so far in just over 2 months? n/t

[Lucinda]

13. KNR

[hibbing]

14. Since when does U.S. foreign policy care about human rights?

The government of the U.S. has a long standing tradition of supporting and even encouraging brutal regimes all over the world as long as they support our economic interests.


Peace

[SCVDem]

15. They take away womens' rights and healthcare

all in the name of saving a fetus.

Meanwhile they have no trouble blowing the crap out of or green lighting the WMD attack by a Russian satellite state of the civilian populace including pregnant women, babies and children.

All of this to appease Putin.

IMPEACH! RESIST! FIGHT!

[tsuukiyomi]

16. Tell it like it is!

What pisses me off is that after forcing those fetuses to be carried to term, the Republicans don't even bother to help these parents in need.

"What's that? You can't afford to raise that child? Shouldn't have had it in the first place!"

This kind of hypocrisy is what changed me from center to entirely left.

[calimary]

18. Welcome to DU, tsuukiyomi!

I totally get that. I'm there, myself. They only care for the embryo and the fetus. Woe to that fetus that is then brought to term, regardless of what the woman wanted. Once it's born, the GOP stops caring, and then does everything it possibly can to make it harder to survive for that woman and the new baby. That's where the funding cuts and the program gutting begins. Gives a whole new meaning to "afterbirth" and "post-partum depression."

[ALBliberal]

17. Forgive me I should know this... But where would Putin want Trump to

Be on this issue. I think? Putin is on the side of Assad.

[Blanks]

26. We'll find out that Putin...

Wanted Trump to bomb what he bombed in Syria to draw attention away from the investigation into collusion during the campaign.

There's a lot of tough talk coming out of Russia for a bombing raid no more effective than we ran.

[barbtries]

20. the USA doesn't care about that.

they don't even care about their own citizens, or children living within their own borders.

[Alice11111]

23. Well, the Repubs don't. Stopping school breakfasts& lunches.

[Alice11111]

22. Wish it would cause DT to fire Tillerson. An embarrassment

before the world. Get Romney for god sake. I know DT was just toying w Romney, and no part of me has ever wished for Romney for anything. He is the best of the worsts though. At least, he is coherent.

[TomCADem]

24. Trump warns that by attacking Assad, US will end up fighting Russia

Tillerson was just carrying out Trump's bromance with Assad/Putin, which was even being celebrated back in November by Russia Today of all places:

https://www.rt.com/news/366647-trump-syria-isis-russia-relations/

US President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed that he will most likely abandon the Obama administration policy on Syria to seek a possible rapprochement with Russia on the issue of Assad. “I’ve had an opposite view of many people regarding Syria,” the 70-year-old Republican told the Wall Street Journal in his first interview since the election.

* * *
Trump, on the other hand, said on Friday that the US should be focused on fighting Islamic State, instead of pursuing regime change in Syria.

“My attitude was you’re fighting Syria, Syria is fighting ISIS, and you have to get rid of ISIS. Russia is now totally aligned with Syria, and now you have Iran, which is becoming powerful, because of us, is aligned with Syria... Now we’re backing rebels against Syria, and we have no idea who these people are.”

* * *

The president-elect warned that if the US attacks Assad, “we end up fighting Russia, fighting Syria.”

[Alice11111]

25. So, DTfinally figured out what hillary knew 6 years ago, &what most people who read a decent newspap

have know for years. Fox and friends are getting this NEW story now. Must be hard for Hillary to warch this , when she wanted to deal w it when only 7000 lives were lost and before putin had his claws in. Now, 700,000 lost and at least 4 million more refugees, Putin, Turkey, Iran

[Blanks]

27. McCain is a cranky old man...

There isn't anyone or anything he won't complain about when it comes to the department of defense. He had all the solutions, told everyone those solutions and if they'd listened to him those problems would not have happened.

He disagrees so strongly with Rand Paul that he won't even comment on statements from Rand Paul. I saw his cranky old ass on CNN yesterday.

Don't walk across his lawn. He will nuke your ass. Very bitter about losing in 2008, or something.