Another day in the Universe
https://www.onthenatureofthings.net/forum/
https://www.onthenatureofthings.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2202
Apparently, once again with respect to Syria, the White House was caught off guard by events they are frantically reacting to instead of shaping. Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper, a White House official publicly responded to Russian President Vladmir Putin's New York Times op-ed with the admission that Putin "now owns" and has "fully asserted ownership" of America's current foreign policy focal point; pushing Syria to surrender its chemical weapons:
“That’s all irrelevant,” the White House official said in response [to Putin's op-ed]. “He put this proposal forward and he’s now invested in it. That’s good. That’s the best possible reaction. He’s fully invested in Syria’s CW disarmament and that’s potentially better than a military strike – which would deter and degrade but wouldn’t get rid of all the chemical weapons. He now owns this. He has fully asserted ownership of it and he needs to deliver.”
That's what Obama made real, a Russian President dictating our national interests. The natural result of electing a beta male.The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said a New York Times op-ed on Syria penned by Russian President Vladimir Putin made him want "to vomit" — echoing a sentiment being widely expressed Thursday on Capitol Hill.
In the op-ed, published Wednesday night, Putin again warned the United States not to launch military strikes on Syria. He maintained that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime was not responsible for the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack in which more than 1,400 people died, according to U.S. officials.
“I almost wanted to vomit,” Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez, (D-N.J.) told CNN.
“I worry when someone who came up through the KGB tells us what is in our national interests, and what is not. It really raises the question of how serious the Russian proposal is.”
President Obama must promise not to arm rebel forces or Syrian dictator Bashar Assad will not hand over his chemical weapons, the embattled leader told a Russian state media outlet today while demanding that Israel also surrender its nuclear arsenal.
“When we see that the U.S. genuinely stands for stability in our region, stops threatening us with military intervention and stops supplying terrorists with weapons, then we will consider it possible to finalize all necessary procedures and they will become legitimate and acceptable for Syria," Assad told RIA News.
Thank You VERY Much for your post, Mr. Perfect.Mr. Perfect wrote:I think this ranks up there with Kennedy/Kruschev/Cuban missiles, Reagan/Gorbachev/Reykjavik in the Post War era, I can't think of much else. Only these did a head of state quickly outmaneuver an adversary, decisively altering the balance of power and the course of history. I don't mean to be hyperbolic but I can't think of any else. Please include any examples you can come up with.
I'm sure the Tinker left is crying quite a bit over this, and in all honesty my intention is not to gloat, it's just that you don't see this very many times in your life.
There has been one confirmed fatality due to the current fracking fuel boom: the website The Oil Drum dedicated to the concept of peak oil closed down.Demon of Undoing wrote:Russia. Stable oil in a peak oil world.
End of line.
Typhoon wrote:There has been one confirmed fatality due to the current fracking fuel boom: the website The Oil Drum dedicated to the concept of peak oil closed down.Demon of Undoing wrote:Russia. Stable oil in a peak oil world.
End of line.
If "stable oil in a peak oil world" is the criteria, should Harper of Canada have be included the poll?
Stable country with reserves second only to Saudi Arabia.
We're only a sidekick when the conservatives are in power. The rest of the time we halfheartedly try to hamper US efforts (Iraq).Demon of Undoing wrote:Typhoon wrote:There has been one confirmed fatality due to the current fracking fuel boom: the website The Oil Drum dedicated to the concept of peak oil closed down.Demon of Undoing wrote:Russia. Stable oil in a peak oil world.
End of line.
If "stable oil in a peak oil world" is the criteria, should Harper of Canada have be included the poll?
Stable country with reserves second only to Saudi Arabia.
Might be. Except Canada doesn't reall play the Great Game except as a sidekick. Who dares, wins. Putin dares whatever the hell he feels like.
This is not unique for "Time" for this cover.Mr. Perfect wrote:Can you imagine how far the GOP could have gone if we had the media in our pocket.
A recently released YouGov poll shows that Americans overwhelming believe Russian President Vladimir Putin has been far more effective during the Syrian chemical weapons crisis than President Obama.
In fact, it was not even close.
When asked, "Which world leader was most effective during the Syrian chemical weapons crisis?", 49 percent of Americans gave the nod to Putin while only 25 percent pointed to Obama.
Among Republicans, the ratio was 63 percent for Putin to only 7 percent for Obama. Democrats gave Obama just under 50 percent approval while giving Putin 37 percent.
In response to, "Which world leader was the least effective during the Syrian chemical weapons crisis?", Obama got 44 percent while Putin only received 10 percent among those polled.
Ending weeks of diplomatic deadlock, the United States and Russia agreed on Thursday on a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that would demand Syria give up its chemical arms, but does not threaten military force if it fails to comply.
Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said a deal was struck with Russia "legally obligating" Syria to give up its chemical stockpile and the measure went to the full Security Council in a closed-door meeting on Thursday night. U.N. diplomats said a vote could come within 24 hours.
"Just two weeks ago, tonight's outcome seemed utterly unimaginable," Power said. "Two weeks ago, the Syrian regime had not even acknowledged the existence of its chemical weapons stockpiles."
"But tonight we have a shared draft resolution that was the outcome of intense diplomacy and negotiations over the past two weeks," she said.
U.S., Russian, French and British diplomats told reporters the vote could come as early as Friday evening, provided the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague approves a plan for the destruction of Syria's poison gas arsenal beforehand.
"I know that some (foreign) ministers are extending their stay in New York in order to participate in that vote," Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters.
The agreement emerged from intense negotiations at the United Nations with Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's chief ally. The aim was to craft a measure to require destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal in line with a U.S.-Russian deal reached earlier this month that averted American strikes on Assad's forces in the midst of a bloody civil war.
Western powers on the Security Council backed away from many of their initial demands, diplomats say, in order to secure Russia's approval. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said an "understanding" had been hammered out, but gave no details.