Washington – U.S. lawmakers lashed out at the Obama administration’s handling of Syria’s civil war on Wednesday, demanding a stronger American response to the conflict and better communication from the White House about its plans.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed deep frustration after Anne Patterson, the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, declined to answer a question about strategy in a public setting.
“I have a problem with a generic answer to a generic question that I can’t believe is classified,” Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said during a committee hearing.
Heated exchanges during questioning of Patterson and Tom Countryman, another assistant secretary of state, underscored the often deep divide between Congress – both Republicans and President Barack Obama’s fellow Democrats – and the administration on foreign policy.
The emotional hearing came a day after Senate Democrats dropped from a Ukraine aid bill reforms of the International Monetary Fund sought by the Obama administration, saying they felt it was more important to move the bill quickly.
Members of the Foreign Relations panel in particular are frustrated by the administration’s failure to do more in Syria, where 140,000 people have been killed, millions have become refugees and thousands of foreign militant fighters have been trained as rebels have fought to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
‘BALONEY’
Senator Bob Corker, the committee’s top Republican, called one answer from Patterson “major, misleading baloney.”
“I can’t imagine you actually saying that in this setting. That would indicate to people that we have a military strategy relative to Syria, and that … could not be further from the truth,” the Tennessee senator said.
Arizona Republican John McCain, a frequent critic of Obama’s foreign policy, called U.S. Syria policy “a colossal failure.”
“The greatest nation in the world has sat by and watched this genocide taking place,” the senator said.
The Foreign Relations Committee voted in May to authorize sending military aid to the Syrian opposition and approved in September the use of U.S. military force in the conflict.
But significant lethal aid has not yet been sent and the White House, after resistance from other members of Congress, dropped plans to bomb Syria after agreeing with Russia to destroy Assad’s chemical weapons cache.
Corker disputed an assertion from Countryman, who handles nonproliferation issues, that the chemical weapons plan had been constructive.
“I disagree with you strongly. With respect, I think you’re delusional,” Corker said.
The session ended after the committee requested a classified hearing with testimony about what military action is being considered, what actions are being taken and an update on the destruction of Assad’s chemical weapons.
“And if you can’t do this, then let us know so none of us are wasting our time,” Menendez said.
Interesting Saudi Arabia has been making huge arm purchases in Germany, Panther and Leopard armored cars and Tanks, and Koch-Heochler firearms.
Check which American allies are supplying the groups in Syria and , Iran and Russia
Robert Menendez was born in ’54. He seems to have skipped Vietnam and any sort of military service. Since then, he has never met a war he didn’t like.
Mr. Obama is going to leave Syria like a rat in a garden without any common cleaning discretion. There is no forum for better living when the president has decided that the future would be better by playing “hands off” when he should have had more to do with the continuity of the Syrian Rebel’s Front.
Overall, Obama is like a dog that loses its interest in chasing the cat so that it can just lay down and sleep all day. And if that’s not a big deal, just think about how fat that proverbial cat becomes by living without a chase. The dog just has no conditional hope for a better future so its day is no longer going to be a challenge.
So too is the Obama Syria policy. No real restitution. No real discipline. And really no interest.
Obama is headed to the future without his cap and gown since he used it for a charcoal for his own limited values.
Goodbye Obama in 2017. We will be in a different place in history.
And I do not anticipate that the man who loves to speak will have as much to say when the smiles on the eternal hope of human kind are lax blades of limited voice.
Sad Story.
The president who had a climate of hope loses his favor for the easy way out.
Nvr Agn
It’s difficult for Obama to focus on minor conflicts like the Syrian crisis instead of condemning Israel for their horrendous self defense techniques!!!!
You completed you foul mouth harangue but can you give an intelligent explanation for all those furnishing weapons and stoking the fires of mayhem in Syria. Don’t forget you continuous rant of never again refers to the murder of Jews .
#1 No, this not true. The Saudis use American Abrams tanks and a locally-produced wheeled APC. The do use German-made G-3 rifles, but that is not a big contract.
There is no such thing as a “Leopard” armored car. The Leopard is a tank. The Panther is a Nazi-era tank. They are no longer used by anyone off a movie set.