With all the focus on the Obama scandals these days, some things get lost in the shuffle, some very very important things. The latest item being ignored for the most part is the decision of Russia to go ahead with weapon sales to the Assad regime in Syria. The Russians are selling anti-ship cruise missiles and enhanced anti-aircraft systems to the Assad forces. There is no doubt about this; Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the sales with the press today in Moscow. Indeed Lavrov said that it was no secret that Russia was supplying arms to the Syrian government (as he calls the Assad forces), and there was no reason for the press to make a big deal about it.
So let's stop here for a moment. The new anti-ship missiles greatly increase the range of the Syrian shore defenses. They make any future attempt by the Sixth Fleet to intervene in Syria much more difficult. They also make it possible that the Assad forces could use the missiles to target ships docking in Haifa in Israel or Beirut in Lebanon. If the terror groups that are fighting in Syria get one or more of these missiles, we could see attacks on shipping in places like the English Channel or the Straits of Hormuz. In short, sending the missiles to Syria is a terrible thing. Then we have the anti aircraft systems. These systems will not prevent stealth bombers from penetrating Syrian airspace, but these missiles are still a bad thing to add to the mix in Syria. And, once again, if these missiles fall into the hands of the terror groups, they could be used to bring down commercial airliners all around the world.
Now back to the news. The Defense Department held a news conference this afternoon to denounce the Russian sale of missiles to Assad. Both the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense spoke and condemned the sale. At the same time, at the daily State Department briefing, the spokesperson for State, Jen Psaki, was asked about the missile sale. In response to repeated questions, Psaki said that State had no knowledge of any new sale by Russia of missiles to Syria. In fact, she said that the story about the sales was from one year ago. So we have the Defense Department and the State Department saying completely conflicting things. These are not differences in emphasis or nuance. The two departments just totally disagree about what is happening in Syria.
Remember that the Russians admit that they are selling these missiles to Syria. How in the world can the State Department deny that it is happening. Maybe someone should tell state that the missile sale has nothing to do with Benghazi so that they can stop telling lies about what is actually happening.
Okay, there is another possibility besides the State Department telling lies. The other choice is that the Obama administration is so messed up that they cannot even manage to agree on what is happening.
So let's stop here for a moment. The new anti-ship missiles greatly increase the range of the Syrian shore defenses. They make any future attempt by the Sixth Fleet to intervene in Syria much more difficult. They also make it possible that the Assad forces could use the missiles to target ships docking in Haifa in Israel or Beirut in Lebanon. If the terror groups that are fighting in Syria get one or more of these missiles, we could see attacks on shipping in places like the English Channel or the Straits of Hormuz. In short, sending the missiles to Syria is a terrible thing. Then we have the anti aircraft systems. These systems will not prevent stealth bombers from penetrating Syrian airspace, but these missiles are still a bad thing to add to the mix in Syria. And, once again, if these missiles fall into the hands of the terror groups, they could be used to bring down commercial airliners all around the world.
Now back to the news. The Defense Department held a news conference this afternoon to denounce the Russian sale of missiles to Assad. Both the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense spoke and condemned the sale. At the same time, at the daily State Department briefing, the spokesperson for State, Jen Psaki, was asked about the missile sale. In response to repeated questions, Psaki said that State had no knowledge of any new sale by Russia of missiles to Syria. In fact, she said that the story about the sales was from one year ago. So we have the Defense Department and the State Department saying completely conflicting things. These are not differences in emphasis or nuance. The two departments just totally disagree about what is happening in Syria.
Remember that the Russians admit that they are selling these missiles to Syria. How in the world can the State Department deny that it is happening. Maybe someone should tell state that the missile sale has nothing to do with Benghazi so that they can stop telling lies about what is actually happening.
Okay, there is another possibility besides the State Department telling lies. The other choice is that the Obama administration is so messed up that they cannot even manage to agree on what is happening.
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