Bush Threatens Syria with New Pressure Over Iraq

[leftchick]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=7142229

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Monday threatened Syria with new diplomatic or economic measures to pressure the country over its suspected interference in Iraqi politics.
"We have sent messages to the Syrians in the past and we will continue to do so. We have tools at our disposal -- a variety of tools, ranging from diplomatic tools to economic pressure. Nothing's taken off the table," Bush told a news conference.

The new threat comes less than a week after Bush demanded that Syria and Iran stop insurgents and money from entering Iraq ahead of next month's elections.

Iraq's interim defense minister has also accused those countries of working with the network of al Qaeda Islamist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq.

"When I said the other day that I expect these countries to honor the political process in Iraq without meddling, I meant it. And hopefully those governments heard what I said," Bush said.

[sniffa]

1. that doesn't work

he needs to teLL the syrians to, "bring it on!"

[Deja Q]

2. Hot diggity, it's time for a hootenanny! Armageddon is nigh, it's time

for some pizza pie! :9

[Earth_First]

3. "We have tools at our disposal -- a variety of tools,"

I am fearful to let my mind wander to explain what such "tools" could be.

[leftchick]

4. he does not mention the only tool they ever use....

and it ain't "diplomacy"!

[Earth_First]

6. Well, there aren't ground troops left to commit...

(as my mind wanders...)

[MisterP]

13. he'll just take them from occupation duty and leave the dirty work

to the Iraqi guard (ha!) and several crack troops who will also be in combat.
Then there's Iran, which would be suicide to go into, so we'll go in 2007. Cuba's available for an '06 coup.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

20. ...Yeah, but he's still got all those nukes lying around

from the Cold War. Plus, he's got the guys at Lawrence Livermore working on more. What better way to say "I'm in charge here" than to turn a couple of hundred thousand people into toast in less than a second.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. I wonder if Santa brought * some new war toys for Christmas.

And, he's itching to open the packages early.

[VegasWolf]

5. bush is "misunderestimating" Syria. n/t

[Tempest]

7. Syrian minister: The U.S. patrols the Syrian-Iraq border

So it's Bush's fault if they are getting through.

[LynnTheDem]

12. Of course it's bush's fault.

It's HIS responsibility to guard Iraq's borders. It is NOT up to other nations to decide who does and who doesn't get into Iraq.

Just like it's AMERICA'S responsibility to decide who does and who doesn't get into the USA from Canada; it is NOT Canada's responsibility to decide who does and who deosn't get to go into the USA.

But as always, bush can't take responsibility for anything. Ever. He's far too big a coward.

[pokercat999]

26. Must be the same Border Patrol as on our border with Mexico N/T

[Ganja Ninja]

8. The world is laughing at this moron.

He has our military so screwed up that his threats don't hold much weight anymore. Syria may just tell him to 'bring it on'.

I'll be surprised if 12 months from now Bush hasn't disgraced himself right out of office. I mean it. I expect the crap to hit the fan soon.

[Hobarticus]

9. At what point will foreign govts. just say "sod off"?

If our economy keeps slugging towards mediocrity, how much economic muscle will we really have to flex?

[LynnTheDem]

11. 1. It's up to IRAQ to prevent people from entering. 2. POROUS BORDERS

means the Iraqis COULD HAVE LEFT IRAQ any time they wanted to. There were never any walls around Iraq, keeping Iraqis prisoner if they didn't like their government. Funny...that's not what bushCartel & the warmongering rightwingnuts chanted constantly before their war of aggression on a sovereign nation that had done nothing to us.

So how come WE are shrieked at by the rightwingnuts to JUST LEAVE America if we don't like it here...and yet the rightwingnuts, AGAINST the Iraqi people's own wishes, shriek we MUST INVADE and OCCUPY Iraq to LIBERATE the people?

And of course how come the Iraqis are so good at defeating the greatest military power ever known to the world...yet didn't fight against Hussein's government in the past 12 years? The Shia were handing in TANKS to the US forces back in June 2003, for gawd's sake.

The Iraqis say they didn't fight his regime because as long as you didn't threaten Hussein's power, there wasn't anything to fight against. But hey, wtf do the Iraqis know.

[leftchick]

14. More Irony from bushco*... Where have all of the Christians gone?

Christians in Iraq skipping Christmas

By EDMUND SANDERS

Los Angeles Times


BAGHDAD, Iraq — After a painful year of church bombings, death threats and assassinations, Iraq’s 800,000 Christians have all but canceled Christmas.

“All the Christians have left the country,” said Saif Sadi, a manager of a store that sells Christmas decorations, where sales this season are down 75 percent.

“Officially, we are not celebrating this year,” said Father Peter Haddad, head of the Virgin Mary Church in Baghdad.

Fearing insurgent attacks in this predominantly Muslim country, bishops around the country recently announced they would call off the usual Christmas celebrations. Some churches will also forgo Christmas Eve Mass, an unheard of step even during the Saddam Hussein regime.

More than 700 people once packed Haddad’s church during the holiday. Last Sunday, 27 brave worshipers showed up.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/104574...

[PunkPop]

29. How's that for irony?

Should win some kind of prize or something.

Bunch of good, so-called Christians help elect one of their own who then proceeds to invade another country creating a chaotic and dangerous situation from which all that country's Christians must flee.

[0007]

15. ...and more propaganda from Wolfie baby!

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,935943,00.html

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz - regarded as the real architect of the Iraqi war and its aftermath - said on Thursday that 'the Syrians have been shipping killers into Iraq to try and kill Americans', adding: 'We need to think about what our policy is towards a country that harbours terrorists or harbours war criminals.

'There will have to be change in Syria, plainly,' said Wolfowitz.

Washington intelligence sources claim that weapons of mass destruction that Saddam was alleged to have possessed were shipped to Syria after inspectors were sent by the United Nations to find them.


Is Paul Wolfowitz full of shit? I think so!

[Massachusetts]

27. Wolfie, lick my comb!

[saigon68]

16. over its suspected interference in Iraqi politics

Unbelievable

[MasonJar]

17. As if the US isn't all over the Iraqi elections. We are the biggest

hypoctrites!

[leftchick]

18. absolutely!

Do as we say! Not what we DO!!!

[Just Me]

19. more blahblahblahblah,...yadayadayada,...PNAC imperialism talk.

The world is against you people,...doncha' get it?

Oh,...and BTW,...PNAC signatories are a buncha' self-righteous, self-involved, shallow MORONS,...who clearly have no God-given capacity or "faith" to actually value "life",...'cause they're too damn busy exhaulting their own black-hole, never know peace, lives.

They are the bearers of darkness,...suffocating the light of humanity in order to feel a power that they will NEVER grasp,...on this path.

[MyDogSpot]

21. Why don't Syria, Iran and North Korea attack the US right now?

The US wouldn't have the manpower to do anything about it. They'd have to nuke everyone, and then the oil region would be gone for everybody. End of conflict.

[Moloch]

22. Oh that's rich. "Interference in Iraqi politics"

The irony.

See folks, that's why people around the world don't like America. I don't think any other country on earth could be so arrogant. The * administration will bring us much more ill will from around the world in the next few years. It is really disheartening, to see sympathy for us from nearly everyone on earth on 9/11 to the world feelings for us now.

[acmavm]

23. Yeah, we've got several 'tools' left. bush** is the main one.

..

[Disturbed]

24. The Iraq Insurgency.

As of late the U.S. govt. Fascists have been calling any resistence to U.S. colonization; terrorists. Iran and Syria are negligable in the fighters that are in Iraq. The Insurgency is mainly Iraqi Sunni and and Shi'ites with a few foreign fighers mixed in.

[0007]

25. "Nothing taken off the table"

"We have sent messages to the Syrians in the past and we will continue to do so. We have tools at our disposal - a variety of tools, ranging from diplomatic tools to economic pressure. Nothing's taken off the table," Bush told a news conference.

http://www.albawaba.com/en/news/178494

[Supersedeas]

28. Nothings off table: food/medicine sanctions to low yeild nuclear attack

justified pre-emption will be reported in the Press, of course.