Last night, the White House issued a surprise statement accusing the Syrian government of preparing a chemical weapons attack and threatening to make them pay “a heavy price” for doing so. This immediately suggested another US attack on Syria was imminent. No one saw this coming, including the Pentagon and the State Department.
Pentagon officials say they were totally unaware if this putative evidence of a chemical attack until the moment the White House issued the statement, something they completely didn’t see coming. The State Department, which would normally be involved in coordinating such an important press release, also wasn’t consulted.
Indeed, such an announcement would normally involve myriad security agencies, including the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence agencies, particularly whoever was the source of the allegation about Syria in the first place. All signs, however, are that this wasn’t the case with anyone, and they’re not even sure where Trump got the idea that a chemical attack might be imminent.
The White House has since offered a secondary comment insisting that all of the officials who are quoted in the media saying they didn’t know about the announcement are lying, and that the White House did, somehow, consult with everybody without anybody knowing about it.
The only person who may conceivably have been in the loop is US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who almost immediately after the White House statement Tweeted that any future attacks in Syria would be blamed on Assad, Russia, and Iran.
This too gives the impression that last night’s brief, evidence-free statement was mostly a pretext for picking a fight in Syria, and the fact that it came mere hours after Secretary of State Tillerson spoke with the Russian Foreign Minister about a new ceasefire gives the appearance this was a none-too-subtle way of turning that proposal down.
You just can’t make this stuff up…
I know, right? And I’ve tried. Maybe, Ayahuasca. Haven’t tried that one yet.
MD20/20? It’s known to have a 1001 uses.
You mean that rank-ass fortified wine sh*t? No thanks. I’ll stick to good old fashioned high-powered psychedelics and Benzodiazepines. The way god intended.
Speaking of using Ayahuasca and similar entheogens in order to “make this sh!t up”, the bill you pay to get “there” is way too high to waste on an exercise that is sure to bum someone out.
Mind. Blown.
Jared via Bibi perhaps…
Well, Bibi for sure. Jared is just his water boy. Something is definitely up, something really HUGE. Israel is ready to do something horrible in Syria and Tillerson is the adult in the room who should know what it is and he doesn’t. I’m thinking that bothers him somewhat.
no this is the work of the sick orange clown, he is mentally unstable, he wants war of any kind, he needs to be replaced, you supporters of the clown are just as bad…..
Trump is beyond reproach and is one who has utter contempt for the American populace..that is if you are not in the 1%. Boot him hard to the curb. Period.
What timing…as if designed to punctuate Sy Hersh’s report with a giant exclamation point.
Probably the same source.
It was a response to this.
“…it came mere hours after Secretary of State Tillerson spoke with the
Russian Foreign Minister about a new ceasefire gives the appearance this
was a none-too-subtle way of turning that proposal down…”
Or by other parties who don’t want a cease fire.
The only people who want a ceasefire are those who are losing in order to gain more leverage.
Nikki Haley outdoes herself as the worst UN Rep from the USA, even with predecessors like Sam Power, John Negroponte, Madeleine Albright, John Bolton…
Albright and Bolton set the bar pretty high…
Low. Set the bar “low”
The three rogue states, the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia, have failed in Syria. They have failed to remove the Assad government, which, with Russian help, is winning the civil war. All Uncle Sam is going to be left with in a Kurdish entity in eastern Syria which the other players in the region, especially the Turks, will be keen to strangle at the earliest opportunity. Is a US attack on Syria in the cards? Quite possibly, but to change the course of the civil war Russian forces embedded with the Syrians would have to be hit hard and repeatedly. The Pentagon went along with the April 6th strike on Syria…but would they be anxious to start WW3?
Having large reserves of oil and gas has been a curse for Middle Eastern countries. The three rogue countries mentioned here have destroyed Iraq and Libya, and they sure would like to destroy Syria and Iran and get their hands on their oil and gas reserves. Trump is being used as a puppet by the neocons in the US government, just as H. Clinton would have played the same role. The election did not change a thing, except that Donald Trump seems to be crazier than Hillary Clinton. Both are psychopaths.
Ah yes, Israel at it again.
The True Cost of Parasite Israel
Forced US taxpayers money to Israel goes far beyond the official numbers.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-true-cost-of-israel/
I offer myself as personal consultant for the Unhinged God Emperor (UGE), my alt-right credentials are pretty good and my heart is on the right place. Somebody has to fix this mess…
Also my consultancy fees are pretty low.
“…Unhinged God Emperor (UGE),”
I like it…well done.
Haley should move to Israel where she can service the Knesset, and create more sociopathic lies. She is the queen of mendacity and the worst example of what should be representing the United States.
“Pentagon officials say they were totally unaware”
Very misleading, this was a totally un-sourced claim by the NY Times.
The reason why these officials have no clue is that they still do not get President Trump. I have clues. Easy.
Oh boy, I am still hanging on to hope. Let’s say Trump new the last attack was fake as Sy says. For political reasons he had to attack (Russia, Russia, Russia, Impeachment) so they blow up a bunch of buildings, the airport is back in service a day later. Now, Sy comes out with an article the western media largely ignores. Trump does what he has done a 100 times already. Say something outrageous that forces the discussion. Is it not true that more Americans now know about Sy’s article? That if there is another attack the western press will have to allow for doubt about who made the attack (as they refused to do last time)? Compared to last week, haven’t the dynamics of the “next strike” changed in favor of “wait for the evidence”?
“No one saw this coming, including the Pentagon and the State Department.”
How about the NSC, that is, McMaster?
And doesn’t Nikki Haley report to the State Department?
Trump is demented ans should be removed from office along with his theocratic nut-job of a veep, Pence…
“The White House has since offered a secondary comment insisting that all of the officials who are quoted in the media saying they didn’t know about the announcement are lying, and that the White House did, somehow, consult with everybody without anybody knowing about it”.
Why have they not resigned yet? By keeping quiet they admit having lied.
Haley and Powers – two peas in a pod – trying to show the bad face of America to the world.
It is possible that this ‘warning’ to Syria was intended to overshadow Seymour Hersh’s publication of an article saying Trump ignored intellence about Syria’s supposed CW attack in April. But, if so, it is still stupid as it invites another faked CW attack.