After days of hysterical accusations against Russia over the downing of flight MH17, and days of promising super secret evidence existed to vindicate those claims, the administration made the decision to allow intelligence officials to release a public assessment to reporters today.
They’re probably rethinking tonight, after the intelligence community conceded, in front of a room of reporter, that there is “no evidence” whatsoever linking Russia to the downing of MH17.
While officials say that the MH17 was still probably downed by a 9k37 Buk missile, they say there is no direct evidence Russia sent the missile to the rebels, let alone fired it for them, two things that have been pushing in the rush to blame Russia for the incident.
Rather, the sum total of Russia’s involvement that the intelligence community thinks they can push is that Russia “created the conditions” for the war in Ukraine, which is where the plane was shot down. Hardly a smoking gun.
Despite that, President Obama continues to insist that “no one denies” the MH17 was shot down with a Russian missile, and training them to use it, two things the intelligence community had nothing to back up.
Considering that just about every weapon in the region is Russian-made or built in licensed factories, it's not a huge leap to assume it was a "Russian weapon" that was used. Duh. If an airliner was shot out of the sky over Washington, it's probably safe to assume it wasn't a 9K37 "Buk" that was used- it would probably be something a little more domestic? Okay, so it's pretty safe to assume that's a no-brainer.
As for 'training', the Ukraininan military was equipped with 9K37 launchers long before the 'crisis' was created, and the operators were presumably trained by Russian military instructors (or someone trained by Russians to teach the system to the Ukrainians- whatever). Given that a lot of the 'pro-Russian separatists' are former Ukrainian military, it only stands to reason that some of them may have been trained on those systems- and as at least some of those launchers were captured by the separatists, it seems only logical that those who had training on them would be married to the equipment.
So let's say we're going to continue to harry Russia on this premise- that Russian-trained separatists (even though they were former Ukrainian military) were operating Russian-made equipment (even though it was originally bought by the Ukrainian military) and that *someone* fired such a system on a civilian jet liner. It could easily be a false-flag operation perpetrated by the Ukrainians (who still operate 9K37 systems in the area) to gain support against the separatists- or it could have just as easily been a mistaken launch by either side on a misidentified target. Think about it, though: cui bono? Who benefits the most from such an act?
The point is, at what point do do you put down the razor and stop splitting hairs, lest the hair you split be your own? Shift the scene to Gaza: given that Gazan civilians are being deliberately targeted by the IDF using US-made and US-supplied weapons, is the US 'guilty' of killing those Gazans- or is it all on Israel? If one blames Russia for the jetliner shoot-down, one must be just as quick to blame the US for the deaths of hundreds of Gazan civilians.
Excellent point. By blindly supporting israel, by always taking the side against Palestine and Hamas, did the US create the conditions for the genocide against the Palestinians? Isn't it as if Obama himself were pulling the triggers that are butchering children?
To take the analogy a little further – but closer to home – the US courts ruled that the manufacturers of American handguns were not responsible for the actions of those who purchased (or acquired by nefarious means) their handguns because, well, it was a stupid argument to begin with. But, the warmongers harping and clamoring to blame Russia for the actions of others (whether Ukrainian or separatist) are the same voices defending the gun manufacturers (rightly so, in that case) against those who would misguidedly place blame.
But I like the point you make regarding the Israelis using American made heavy weapons. The US, by their argument to place blame at Putin's feet, should claim some blame in Gaza then.
So lets extrapolate further. If it was a Buk system manned by either pro-Russian separatists formerly trained in the armed forces of the Ukraine or active duty Russian soldiers trained in the use of the system then wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that they could tell the difference between a commercial passenger airliner and a military aircraft? I am assuming that the airliner was disseminating some form of I D signal that would have been picked up by the operators of the anti-aircraft system.
Have these guys aver heard of the boy who cried wolf?
Good. Now that Washington's says it, maybe their zombie minions in the corrupt media will stop cheerleading for war with Russia.
You wish. The emotioneering will be all the stronger. Now the bodies of loved ones left to fester in a chaotic place will be sitting in the dark in death trailers that remind one of the Holocaust while we stand with them and all the nations are furious at the horrific and disrespectful manhandling of their bodies which we are aghast of while we all know this is all Putin's fault even more.
It looks like Washington decided to tone down the hysteria over the MH17 tragedy. My guess would be that some important ally – like Germany for example – has told them to turn down the volume.
The whole thing was pointless anyway, why racking up the pressure when it leads to nowhere. I can't imagine them wanting to start a war with Russia – either conventional, or even less – nuclear.
If anybody can tell them from first hand experience that pocking the ole Bear is not a wise policy – it would be the Germans. Just let it hibernate peacefully.
If this administration says "no evidence exists" you know they are probably looking at photos to prove the exact opposite of their stated position.
And if that should indeed be the case, the whole bunch of war-lusting rejects should be removed from office forthwith.
Last time I looked they haven't even been able to come up with any evidence beyond a couple of social media images of doubtful origin that the rebels had BUK launchers, while the Russians have demonstrated that the putschists had BUK launcher batteries in the area MH17 was downed. You'd have thought that with all their surveillance technology they could have found something by now.
Maysian Airliners seem to be getting shot out of the sky these days. Not too long ago one disappeared on its way from Kuala Lumpur to China, and now this one over the Ukraine. I wonder if it is one and the same party who is doing the shooting? I wonder who that could be? I doubt it is Russia.
the world needs to prove that it was rocket which struck the flight 17 and caused it to fall. if it was a rocket, the world needs then to prove who fired it. after that we need to prove that the people who targeted that plane knew it was a passenger jet.
and that cannot ever be proven!
so, why wage politics about this tragedy?
and why cannot people figure this elementary fact; ie, it being just an accident?
Meanwhile, on the Hague Channel aka. the BBC:
"Whitehall sources say information has emerged that MH17 crash evidence was deliberately tampered with, as the plane's black boxes arrive in the UK."
What do the sources mean by this?
"The sources said this included moving bodies and scattering the parts of other aircraft among the wreckage of the downed Malaysia Airlines plane."
I wouldn't be surprised it it turned out these were "model aircraft" and the BBC just "forgot" the adjective.
"The Air Accidents Investigation Branch in Farnborough, Hampshire, has received the flight recorders for analysis."
Okay…
"Whitehall sources also told the BBC that pro-Russian rebels are believed to have discussed plans to hand MH17's two black box flight recorders over to Russia. It is understood that some of these conversations were intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence but the information is considered nevertheless to be "very persuasive"."
Holy damn, these people can actually hold discussions! They MUST be terrorists.
"The black boxes have been transported to the UK after pro-Russian rebels handed them to Malaysian officials this week."
Phew, dodged a bullet.
the flight was a dutch KLM flight, which is why Malaysians have given Dutch the black boxes, & the Dutch have given them to the Brits. just great, hey? deputy to AIDS Prof cancelled her ticket so was incredulous as Prof ONLY FLEW KLM, listen at 2 mins:
video: BBC: "I was just incredulous" http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023gd2d
Bernama: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Codeshares With MAS For Flight MH17
"As a precautionary measure, KLM avoids flying over the concerned territory," it said. http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/ge/newsgener…
elsewhere MSM states KLM no longer going to fly over region following crash. btw only 6 AIDS researchers were on the flight. so much disinfo. pity one of the black boxes didn't go somewhere less spooky.
Probably a secret cell within the CIA is busy doctoring some photos to "prove" Russia did it. This takes time, but soon such photos will be "discovered".
Oh believe me they have all kind of home made evidence printed on a canon printer at the cellar within the state department vicinity.., do you remember their evidence about Iraq and WMD! They had all kind of it is just that it turned out to be fake as they themselves are.