Month: September 2013

Wrong Again: Republican Claims Reagan Would Not Ignore Chemical Weapons Attack – But He Did

Jon Ponder

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Republicans’ delusional mythologizing of Ronald Reagan made its way into the debate over Syria this week when Florida GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen claimed on Fox News that Reagan would have never stood by while chemical weapons were used:

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Obama Stuck Between Rock and Hard Place on Syria

Buck Banks

From the start of the Syrian conflict, President Obama has wanted to take two very different approaches to it. On the one hand, he has been disciplined about the definition of American interests and the use of force. On the other hand, he has sought a way to respond to Bashar Assad’s human-rights atrocities…. The reality is, the U.S. has now put its credibility on the line. It will find it extremely difficult to keep its actions limited in a volatile situation. And were it to succeed in ousting Assad, it would be implicated in the next phase of this war, which would almost certainly lead to chaos and the slaughter or ethnic cleansing of the Alawite sect (to which Assad belongs) and perhaps of other minorities, as happened in Iraq.

— Fareed Zakaria, writing in Time’s Swampland blog.

The Onion: Poll Supports Sending Congress to Syria

Trish

The Onion* proposes the only good solution to the Syria problem.

The New York Times/CBS News poll showed that though just 1 in 4 Americans believe that the United States has a responsibility to intervene in the Syrian conflict, more than 90 percent of the public is convinced that putting all 535 representatives of the United States Congress on the ground in Syria—including Senate pro tempore Patrick Leahy, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and, in fact, all current members of the House and Senate—is the best course of action at this time.

“I believe it is in the best interest of the United States, and the global community as a whole, to move forward with the deployment of all U.S. congressional leaders to Syria immediately,” respondent Carol Abare, 50, said in the nationwide telephone survey, echoing the thoughts of an estimated 9 in 10 Americans who said they “strongly support” any plan of action that involves putting the U.S. House and Senate on the ground in the war-torn Middle Eastern state. “With violence intensifying every day, now is absolutely the right moment—the perfect moment, really—for the United States to send our legislators to the region.”

“In fact, my preference would have been for Congress to be deployed months ago,” she added.

*A source for satire.

Three-Quarters of Americans Disapprove of Congress’ Performance

Buck Banks

76%

Of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing while just 14% approve, a new Monmouth University poll finds. Key findings: “When asked which chamber has been doing a better job for the country, 18% pick the House and 14% name the Senate. The majority (60%) say both have performed about the same. Unsurprisingly, Republicans are more likely to say the House (32%) rather than the Senate (7%) has done a better job. Democrats are somewhat more likely to give the Senate (20%) the edge over the House (10%).”

Most Americans Oppose Military Intervention in Syria

Buck Banks

48% to 29%

Margin by which more Americans oppose than support conducting military airstrikes against Syria in response to reports that the Syrian government used chemical weapons, a new Pew Research survey finds. Key findings: “Just 29% of Democrats favor conducting airstrikes against Syria, while 48% are opposed. Opinion among independents is similar (29% favor, 50% oppose). Republicans are more divided, with 35% favoring airstrikes and 40% opposed.”