Another view on Syria

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https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/america-doesnt-belong-syria?fbclid=IwAR10tBbhZDq8ULQ_vfYMnVwPMq3j9aFOhcpsZ3ZS6ISWSUNWP0hMRXU9HCI

The first thing to do to get out of a hole is to stop digging.

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Published by Don Tabor

I am a former Chairman of the Tidewater Libertarian Party and was the 2007 LP candidate for the 14th district VA Senate. Previously, I was the Volunteer State Director for the FairTax. I am married 50 years with two grown children and 5 grandchildren.

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25 thoughts on “Another view on Syria”

  1. I don’t disagree with the column, for the most part.

    But my argument is repeated by this passage:

    “Of course, there remains much to criticize about the president’s decision to move U.S. forces away from the border and presumably exit entirely. Even when he does the right thing, he usually does so for the wrong reason and in the wrong way.”

    Impulse and ignorance drive Trump.

    And yet we are sending thousands of troops to defend Saudi Arabia in its conflict with Iran. Not to mention all the help we are giving them to butcher Yemenese civilians.

    Are we getting out of the Middle East or not?

    Trump is full of crap saying he is ending “endless wars”. Erdogan said “jump” and our president said “how high”. Oh, and please don’t hurt my towers in Istanbul.

    IMHO

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    1. CATO doesn’t like Trump any more than you do, but they do present a good explanation of how we got into the mess.

      I don’t disagree that we should cut the Saudi’s loose.

      As far as Trump getting us out of Syria the wrong way, I do disagree, We got out with no Americans killed and with the Kurds realigning with better protectors and with Asaad accepting their presence.

      Starting with where we were 2 weeks ago, I don’t see any other route leading to a better outcome.

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      1. See my post on the earlier discussion.

        There is a right way and a wrong way. Trump, again, chose the wrong way. Not only did he turn his back on our greatest ally in the battle against terrorism. He blindsided his own military leaders. Some commander-in-chief. No way to run national defense.

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        1. OK, what was the “right way” if we assume a 50/50 chance that Erdogan was not bluffing when he told Trump that he was crossing the border whether our people were there or not?

          I understand the desire to stand by allies, but I also don’t approve of using our troops as hostages.

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          1. “ if we assume a 50/50 chance that Erdogan was not bluffing ”

            Your entire premise falls apart when you base it on a 50/50 assumption. There was zero percent chance that Turkey was going to attack and kill US soldiers. Our troops were not “hostages”.

            As to what is the “right way” to get out? Perhaps the Idiot in Chief could ask some of the experts in military and foreign affairs to provide a plan.

            I know in THIS Administration that’s crazy talk, but could have provided a better solution than the cluster fuck that now exists..

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          2. You’re not answering the question.

            I know you think you can read the mind of an Islamist dictator you have never met who has seen 3000 deaths in his country as a result of PKK terrorism, but I’m just not that sure and a rational President cannot just assume he is bluffing.

            So, you can’t just dismiss the possibility those troops would have been killed. The question was what was a better way to exit assuming that uncertainty.

            Do you have an answer or not?

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          3. @Tabor
            …”a rational President”… Milk out the nose, tears out the eyes, colostomy bag full of crap funny. Did you really just refer to the current President as rational? Dude, you need to go full on electrode steel attached to your tinfoil hat.

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          5. Why do you continue to claim our troops were hostages? That is the biggest load of crap since Mulvaney tried to backtrack his own quid pro quo statement yesterday.

            Those troops were assigned to be there by our military commanders, including CinC. But the way this was done was as wrong as the day is long. And you have seen that the Turks aren’t abiding by the “pause” agreement? So much for “pause”. It seems to barely have lasted 20 hours, let alone the 120 that our intrepid VP and SecState negotiated. So impressed. NOT!

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          6. @Tabor

            “ Perhaps the Idiot in Chief could ask some of the experts in military and foreign affairs to provide a plan.”

            Did you not read my post?

            I am neither type of expert, however, THEY could certainly come up with a better course of action.

            As to a NATO member attacking another NATO member (us in particular) you must be eating those mushrooms to believe it would happen..

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          7. @Tabor
            “So, you have no better plan either.” Actually, I already posted one previously.

            I don’t disagree with getting out. But we have ot find a way to do so in a manner that protect innocents and allies.

            And you have still not addressed the fact we are sending 2,000 troops to Saudi Arabia. WTH? Move ’em out of Syria, all 50, but send 2450 more to SA. In case you forgot, SA is also part of the ME. Where is you defense of that move at the same time we are leaving allies in the war on terrorism to float. AND Turkey blew off the pause in less than 24 hours after it was announced. Are you seriously trying to say that this was still a good move just because Trump wants to get us out of “endless wars”, regardless of the actual cost?

            The village called. They want to know when you’ll be back.

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        2. @Green

          I looked back over previous posts and see no plan, only a goal to withdraw in a way that does no one harm. That not being possible, it does not count.

          Regarding Saudi Arabia, they should also be on their own. We should not have a single soldier there beyond the Marines guarding our embassy.

          I utterly despise the Saudi’s as cowards and thugs.

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          1. It was on another thread. This “by the seat of his extra wide pants” decision was nothing but a gift to Erdogan, Putin, and Assad. Wonder what will be under the White House Xmas tree from those 3 this year.

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  2. Most striking to me is the scarcity of reliable information about our withdrawal from Syria. The prevailing assumption is that the president made a hasty, ill-informed and unexpected decision, but there is little evidence of this.

    Some may recall that the president ordered our troops out of Syria several months ago, a direct order which his chain of command appeared at the time to have summarily ignored. That, too, was a story which journalists were oddly incurious about.

    In any case, we can assume that plans were drawn and stakeholders in the region were informed as they needed to be. The president’s decision last Sunday could not have come as a surprise to anyone, nor is it likely to have been uninformed or undisciplined.

    Our news media being what it is — incompetent and partisan — we should be careful in our assumptions about this story: The facts we know are thin, and emotions are running high.

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  3. “The prevailing assumption is that the president made a hasty, ill-informed and unexpected decision, but there is little evidence of this.”

    When the DOD response is basically “What just happened?” it tends to cause a sane individual to think it was hasty, ill-informed decision. And one driven by Erdogan and not common sense. When even the most ardent of Trump supporters in Congress basically say WTF?, it tends to cause a sane person to also say WTF?
    When the allies most effected by the decision are scrambling to save their own skins, how could you even consider that stakeholders in the region were informed. The only informed party was Erdogan. If you believe otherwise you are missing the boat on the facts.

    John, you are an intelligent man. I have seen it in your arguments for things you believe in. But I truly have to question your thought process on this one.

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    1. Considering that the Generals pretty much ignored Trump’s request for a plan to get out of Syria, I am not surprised that they are shocked to get it in the form of an order.

      Like so many in DC, they seem to have forgotten who is CINC.

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          3. Trump asked for a plan and didn’t use it.

            So I guess it should read, “trump ignores General’s plan”….

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    2. RE: “John, you are an intelligent man. I have seen it in your arguments for things you believe in. But I truly have to question your thought process on this one.”

      Your opinion of my intelligence has about as much significance as a raw peanut.

      I predict, however, that you have no factual material to support your own opinion of events related to Syria. You claim, for example, to know the DOD response to the president’s order. I invite you to quote DOD sources that substantiate what you say about them. I don’t think you can.

      As I said, “The facts we know are thin, and emotions are running high.”

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      2. The only facts that are thin are the ones you tend to follow. Facts that don’t support your thinking are always discarded by you as fake news, not credible, or lies. When in actuality, it is YOUR facts that tend toward the conspiracy theory. I also have noticed that once your “facts” are disproven, you just stop talking and never own up to the truth. Or you post a “something…or nothing”.

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