Massive use of chemical weapons in Syria, 1,429 killed including 426 children

[Berkut]

If this was a rebel setup, then how is it that the people contemplating reprisals against Assad are not aware of that?

How is it that Tamas can figure this out, but those with vastly greater amounts of intelligence and technical resources at their disposal have been fooled?

Could be that certain interventionist elements in Western countries want any excuse to get involved and aren't too concerned about actual proof.  I know that's a cynical answer, but you asked a cynical question.

That is certainly possible. But it seems rather implausible.

First of all, the people making the decisions don't seem to be fishing for an excuse - quite the opposite, they have consistently resisted getting involved at all at every turn of events. Further, they have nothing to gain by getting involved in a "cynical" manner - there is no support for this, there is no political hay to be made, and in actuality to risks in getting involved are considerable, and much MORE considerable if you calculate the risk of getting involved when you KNOW that it is all a setup, and we all know that lies like that almost never hold up over time.

I mean, sure, it is possible. But it seems pretty much of the "did the US really land on the moon?" level of conspiracy theory.

[Viking]

If this was a rebel setup, then how is it that the people contemplating reprisals against Assad are not aware of that?

How is it that Tamas can figure this out, but those with vastly greater amounts of intelligence and technical resources at their disposal have been fooled?

Could be that certain interventionist elements in Western countries want any excuse to get involved and aren't too concerned about actual proof.  I know that's a cynical answer, but you asked a cynical question.

Who wants to get involved? The obvious suspects, the neo-cons, seem to be content to sit on the sidelines just pointing out that this is happened without a US invasion.

[derspiess]

If this was a rebel setup, then how is it that the people contemplating reprisals against Assad are not aware of that?

How is it that Tamas can figure this out, but those with vastly greater amounts of intelligence and technical resources at their disposal have been fooled?

Could be that certain interventionist elements in Western countries want any excuse to get involved and aren't too concerned about actual proof.  I know that's a cynical answer, but you asked a cynical question.

Who wants to get involved? The obvious suspects, the neo-cons, seem to be content to sit on the sidelines just pointing out that this is happened without a US invasion.

Neocons like Graham and McCain desperately want to intervene, and there is a strong interventionist faction in the administration.  If nobody wanted to get involved, we wouldn't have had that red line in the first place.

[Berkut]

If this was a rebel setup, then how is it that the people contemplating reprisals against Assad are not aware of that?

How is it that Tamas can figure this out, but those with vastly greater amounts of intelligence and technical resources at their disposal have been fooled?

Could be that certain interventionist elements in Western countries want any excuse to get involved and aren't too concerned about actual proof.  I know that's a cynical answer, but you asked a cynical question.

Who wants to get involved? The obvious suspects, the neo-cons, seem to be content to sit on the sidelines just pointing out that this is happened without a US invasion.

Neocons like Graham and McCain desperately want to intervene,

If McCain is for it, that is strong evidence that those who actually make decisions are not frothing at the mouth to intervene, since they pretty much have completely opposite views from McCain on almost all issues, and his promoting a course of events is a good way to get those in power to oppose said course.

and there is a strong interventionist faction in the administration.  If nobody wanted to get involved, we wouldn't have had that red line in the first place.

That pre-supposes that the only reason to have said red line was the knowledge that it would be crossed.

Sometimes a red line is just a red line.

[lustindarkness]

I wish the US would not get involved anywhere. Unless it is to nuke someone.

I'm getting tired of these wars in the desert.

[Bluebook]

Both sides are the bad guys.  And I really don't see how our national interests are served by getting involved.

Can you see how your national interests are served if the entire world understands the "if you use chemical weapons, you die"-lesson?

[derspiess]

Both sides are the bad guys.  And I really don't see how our national interests are served by getting involved.

Can you see how your national interests are served if the entire world understands the "if you use chemical weapons, you die"-lesson?

Are we talking about using chemical weapons against the US or our allies?  If not, then no, I can't.

[alfred russel]

I wish the US would not get involved anywhere. Unless it is to nuke someone.

I'm getting tired of these wars in the desert.

There has been some unrest recently in the Maldives...Should we make an exception to the nuke everything policy? 

[CountDeMoney]

Dick Cheney would've gotten it done by now, dang nabbit!

[derspiess]

I wish the US would not get involved anywhere. Unless it is to nuke someone.

I'm getting tired of these wars in the desert.

There has been some unrest recently in the Maldives...Should we make an exception to the nuke everything policy? 

Are you using Obama code for "Malvinas"?

[alfred russel]

Are you using Obama code for "Malvinas"?

I don't think he wants to the falklands. He seems somewhat sane and lucid. 

[lustindarkness]

I wish the US would not get involved anywhere. Unless it is to nuke someone.

I'm getting tired of these wars in the desert.

There has been some unrest recently in the Maldives...Should we make an exception to the nuke everything policy? 

As long as I don't get deployed to the desert again, we should nuke whatever we need to. There may be some collateral damage.

[derspiess]

Are you using Obama code for "Malvinas"?

I don't think he wants to the falklands. He seems somewhat sane and lucid. 

But IIRC, his wife is half Argie.  Never trust Argies, nor those married to them

[lustindarkness]

Are you using Obama code for "Malvinas"?

I don't think he wants to the falklands. He seems somewhat sane and lucid. 

But IIRC, his wife is half Argie.  Never trust Argies, nor those married to them

Correct on all points.

[Caliga]

My post wasn't meant to suggest I think there is some sort of conspiracy afoot here.

I am just struggling to understand Assad's motivation.  If I may compare him to Saddam, Saddam as we know had vast chemical stockpiles during the Iran-Iraq War but IIRC he withheld use of them until after 1982 when Iran went on the offensive, and the Iraqis felt that the fall of Baghdad was a real possibility.  He then gassed the shit out of his opponents toward the end of the war (Iran and the Kurds both) because he was trying to get Iran to the negotiating table as his country was totally exhausted by that point.

So If I'm Assad, and I appear to be winning, then what do I have to gain by using weapons that will almost certainly attract vast amounts of negative international attention?  Don't give me the "HE'S CRAZY LOL!" excuse.  He can't be that crazy, or he would have been offed a while ago by some dude in his military.