In a move that adds to the pressure on President Obama to shift the Syria War strategy, Secretary of State John Kerry has come out in favor of the “dissent memo” signed by unnamed State Department officials demanding a change, saying he believes it to be a “well-crafted argument.”
State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry’s comments were somewhat short of a “full-throated endorsement” of the plan, but it is unsurprising to hear he supports the idea of shifting to a war of regime change, as he was the primary architect of the failed attempt to start such a war in 2013.
Kerry had previously only addressed the memo by saying he believed the process of dissent memos is an important one, and that he would meet with some of the authors. Kirby suggested Kerry is now eager to talk to the authors to flush out the idea, and suggested Kerry was open to endorsing the policy change.
The memo argues the US should abandon the war on ISIS in Syria for the time being in favor of imposing regime change. The White House has indicated that they have no plans to change policy based on the memo.
It’s time then for Kerry to go. If Obama keeps someone in a high level position who is actually working against his policies, then Obama is dumber than I thought.
Not dumb at all, just utterly spineless. He’s a brilliant but hapless weakling who invites his adversaries to an ass-kicking party — his own — and then all teary-eyed whimpers,”Can’t we all get just along?”
Surely even a weakling can summon the internal strength to ask one his secretaries for a resignation. That’s easy.
Now about Obama being brilliant…
Nothing to do with brilliance! He cut the deal with neocon devil when he appointed Hillary in charge of foreigh policy. Since then he is the one being ordered around — not the other way. He is just hoping that itt is not too obvious. Kerry tells him what to do — he just needs to finess it enough not to look as a servant.
Obama is good at double-dealing – he can act cute with the best of them, and all he really wants to do is to just retire comfortably. The farce that he has to play with the neocons and Hillary to act as if they are not already running the show is well within his talents – and it is the price he has to pay for his gold-plated retirement and invaluable “legacy”. Someday, he will be shuffling along on the golden beaches of Hawaii – the nuclear explosions on the Eastern Shores, the literal starving of Americans, and the imprisonment of any patriots left will be, literally, miles away
I think the public disagreement between Kerry and Obama is Kabuki theater.They want to hedge both ways, depending on how their campaign in Syria goes.
They only have six months left in office, so they can’t be hedging for very long
No, but they can set the stage for the Kankle Queen who has already stated, in words and actions, that she’s full on for regime change in Syria regardless of the costs.
Is this even about Syria? Sounds more like a recipe for rapidly getting into a real confrontation via Russia by the back door. Are we are gearing up for an “October Surprise” that will make Democrats look tough and the US under siege?
The same Soros tbat is advocating Europe without borders. Who has financed move of millions from Turkey refugee camps into Europe. And who thinks that Europe “needs diversity” to move economy.
Thinks that unemployeed Europeans should stay unemployed. Something ugly is afoot. Defense ministers of Russia, Iran and Syria are tight lipped after Teheran meeting. They may up the ante in Iraq where US is doing everything to block Iraq from pushing ISIS out of Fallujah and trying to pull them into Mosul trap. As Iraqi army did not listen and is pushing through and around Fallujah giving Baghdad some breathing room and space for independent action — neocons are furious. The way to retaliate would be by going after Assad and let ISIS and Al-Qaeda take over Syria. In the neighborhood only Saudi Arabia and Israel want this — nobody ele — including Turkey under new prime minister snd new foreign minister. Neocons will cost us dearly but it is our fault — letting both parties be controled by the same cabal.
Obama should fire Kerry along with all of the signatories of the memo. They should be fired not for insubordination, or for violating any sort of rule; they should be fired for stupidity.
Wow! You set that precedent and you’ll end up emptying out Washington.
Hmmmm.
Brilliant!
I call for Obama to fire Kerry and the signatories of the dissent memo.
The whole point of the State Department’s “Dissent Channel” is for department employees to have a place where they can disagree with administration policy WITHOUT the risk of being fired.
Oh, you mean kinda like the Whistleblowers Protection Act? Let’s ask some of the following how that’s working out: Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden and John Kiriakou and Stephen Jin-Woo Kim and Jeffrey Sterling and Thomas Drake and Lawrence Franklin and…
Sounds like it’s more of a channel for malcontents to vent and I suspect it wasn’t supposed to be broadcast outside State.
The whe point of the Dissent” bommunication is to point out the impropriety behind a policy, undue influence and corruption. Or fear of retaliation. If none is present, they can openly advocate a policy decision — as neocons inside State Department always do. They are not used to losing arguments. So now they are acting as VICTIMS that could not have a fsir hearing to their arguments –so they needed the anonymity to be heard. Poor babies! How quickly they go from being buies to being victims.
Then I think they are misusing the Dissent Channel. The purpose of the State Department is diplomacy, is it not? Why are they going outside their expertise and purview and advocating war? In a proper world, they would be dissenting against diplomatic policies, and proposing better diplomatic approaches. Instead, they’re treading into the territory of the Department of Defense. By signing this memo, they have admitted they don’t believe even in their basic mission, and their “resignations” should be accepted immediately.
Like the man — I think it was Clausewitz — said, “War is politics by other means.” Diplomacy and war are a continuum, not two different things.
So the State Dept. should remain on their end of the continuum. If there is a case for war, it should be made by Defense.
I accept your premise that there is a continuum, but the issues of the extremes are plainly in different hands, so that’s where the responsibility lies. If there is a difference, the president weighs the arguments.
How odd, The diplomats are for war, the soldiers are for diplomacy.
I still call for the resignation of the signatories.
Actually, Defense is usually the voice AGAINST war.
But you’re mistaking “who should make what case” for the jobs of the people involved. The job of the diplomats is diplomacy, the job of the warriors is war, and everyone gets to have an opinion on which should prevail. Are you going to resign your job because you have an opinion that falls outside the scope of that job? Should you?
Insofar as I’m wrong, OK. But thank you for acknowledging my original premise that “The job of the diplomats is diplomacy, the job of the warriors is war….”
Insofar as “everyone gets to have an opinion on which should prevail,” it looks to me that the diplomats are not even trying diplomacy and that is their error.
” Are you going to resign your job because you have an opinion that falls outside the scope of that job?” It’s not merely “outside” but AGAINST. If you don’t believe in the mission and purpose of your job, then that will inevitably affect your job performance. In such a case, yes, resignation is the moral choice, and if you don’t resign then the employer has the obligation to terminate, in this case where they serve at the pleasure of the President.
This may be the end of sanity for all mankind.
Kerry, an unmitigated imbecile is as stupid, incompetent and morally bankrupt as his POTUS Obama. It is painfully obvious that both Kerry and Obama are differentiated genetically by not more than one chromosome from a discarded umbrella stand, whereas with Clinton/Trump that subtle differention has been determined, decades previous, to be essentially non-existant.
You have to realise Regime Change was always the policy before Obama gave the order under his personal signature to start the Covert war using Jihadists by signing the “Finding” in 2011, which is required for such operations. The Syrian government under pressure from the Jihadists was supposed to “Step Down” allowing their Assets to be appointed as the government and a Transition to an American client state to take place.
But they have refused.
So things like “no fly zones” – open war – must be used to achieve this,
There is not much I support Obama on –but Kerry is being a total dick and should be fired along with all those career diplomats. What is going on in his pea brain? He knows Hillary will have no hesitation in charging into Syria –looking for a position in a possible Hillary Clinton cabinet? Johnny Dear, go back to your ketchup Lady and make whoopie if u still can –it’s a lot safer than what you’re trying to do.
Horsehockey;Obomba is fully on board the terror train,and might be called a conductor.:)
I have seen this repeatedly lately,excuses for this pos.
He probably told them to send it.
Exactly. For neocons — with the mood of The nation changing — it is all hands on the deck.
Whi is in charge of foreign policy and US military. This is not an intellectual analysis of laptop wonks but a serious breech of authority and Kerry is reducing the president to a puppet. But it may also be the Democratic party edict — they need to start as many wars and destabilize the globe before Obama leaves. If Hillary wins she will have what she wants without having to start — and if not the mess will be out of hand to tie dnyo e’s hands, if ionly military has the means to stop the insanity.
Russia is supporting Syria with military muscle. If Washington decides to follow the strategy of the “dissent memo”, that means they choose war with Russia in the middle east. Is that what we want? Isn’t aggressive war the supreme crime?
If Washington goes the path of the “dissent memo” the US becomes the supreme criminal of the globe. Some day, Kerry, Obama, and other administration officials will have to face justice, just like the Nazis did.
So Kerry wants a job in the Killary administration. What an asshole.
This Kerry wouldn’t like the Kerry that gave that wonderful rebuke of the Viet Nam war way back when. And isn’t it something that people can openly discuss regime change like they’re planning a lunch date. Our arrogance is astounding.
Who are these cowards who signed this “memo” but won’t reveal themselves?
No one in a position to influence US foreign policy who advocates use of military force has any right to anonymity.
Local newspapers publish the names in the “police blotter” of those pinched for drunk driving, B&Es, other petty misdemeanors.
Don’t those looking to commit the US war machine to another campaign of mass murder, and who could actual play a substantial role in bringing that about, deserve to have their ugly mugs plastered all over public square?
I would like Obama to give that same lame look that Kerry gave
As the police surrounded that college kid who had the temerity of asking the impertinent question of Kerry.
Imagine Kerry echoing the same plea
“Don’t tase me bro”