The White House on Sunday put pressure on Congress to vote this week in favor of training and arming Syrian rebels as part of President Obama’s plan to destroy the Islamic State, making clear that sending U.S. combat troops is not an option.
Mark my words that when this blows up in our face, and IT WILL, the democrats will find someone on which to lay the blame! We did this crap with armed Bin Laden when he was fighting the Russians and look how well that turned out for us down the road. The U.S. government has NEVER learned that the enemy of your enemy isn’t always your friend. -Matt Duncan (MD)
“If it’s not the Syrian opposition, trained and equipped by the United States, authorized by Congress and the president … then it’ll have to be U.S. troops,” White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told “Fox News Sunday.” “The president made a decision on that. We’re not going to do that.”
The GOP-led House appears most ready to approve the plan. Members are expected to return to Capitol Hill on Monday, a day ahead of schedule, to begin preliminary work on authorizing the training and the $500 million in spending the White House wants for moderate Syrian rebels to help in the fight against the militant group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday expressed skepticism about Obama’s plan to defeat the Islamic State, which is limited to U.S. air strikes, but nevertheless backed the commander in chief.
“An F-16 in not a strategy,” the Ohio Republican said. “The president has made clear that he doesn’t want U.S. boots on the ground. So somebody’s boots have to be on the ground. … We ought to give the president what he’s asking for.”