Invitation To Enter The Debate On Syria: Reasons Why, And Reasons Why Not Take Action

Barack Obama has asked the American people to debate the issue of whether or not to use force against President Assad of Syria.  I am creating this forum for you to weigh in.  And to get things started here are some reasons why we should, and why we should not, use force.

YES, USE FORCE

1.  Iran is behind the Syrian government and has set up this scenario to drag the United States through the streets of the world, taunting us as weak and indecisive with no stomach for war impotent to do anything meaningful to stop the advance of their brand of radical Islamic Jihad.  We must deal harshly, and swiftly with this growing threat and regain our composure in the face of terrorism.

2.  A Syrian/Iranian power in the Middle East is a threat to many of our interests, including stability of world oil supplies, shipping and the safety of our allies and friendly nations such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and those nations where growth is tied to western civilization rather than the backward looking ideology of Islamic fundamentalism.

3.  Iran has vowed to develop and deploy a nuclear weapon against Israel which would most certainly spark a global war.  Syria's use of chemical weapons is a test case.  We must inflict maximum punishment else Iran will make the world much more dangerous.

4.  There is a humanitarian component to this problem that we should have dealt with much earlier.  It was at one time the top reason to take action.  It is no less important now, but other things have passed it.

NO, DO NOT USE FORCE

1.  We do not have a president that we or the world trusts any longer to lead the military correctly.  Our standing in the world is likely to suffer more under President Obama than it did under Jimmy Carter.  He is clueless, at best, and dangerously mis-aligned in his loyalties at worst.  The number one reason to not use force is due to the lack of a leader.

2.  We cannot afford another war.  Our treasury is empty.  Our nation too deeply in debt.  Wars are expensive and no surgical strikes will stop a mad man only war can stop him, a war we cannot afford to fight.

3.  We cannot guarantee success of the mission.  In fact, we have not succeeded in much we have every done in the Middle East.  Either our intelligence, our diplomats, our leaders or our lack of understanding of the issues presented have made us look like fools for decades.  We are meddlesome busy bodies who tend to make matter worse rather than better.  We need to get out of the cockpit before we crash and burn.

Okay, these are some of the arguments I've been hearing for and against action in Syria.

Would you like to open the debate here?  Before you comment, please review our comment policies.

Let the debates begin. (Many people in elected office read this blog daily.  Your participation will not go unnoticed.)

Comments

[Mr. Scott Ryan]

I have a few more against.

1. The number one reason the CIA claims terrorism exists ... Blowback.
2. It violates international law in at least two areas.
3. Diplomacy first, sanctions second, war as a last resort.
4. A missle strike is an act of war.
5. It's a lose/lose situation.
6. Why bomb when you can drone. Declare Assad a terrorist and then target him with a drone strike when he least expects it. It doesn't appear you need congressional approval. The administration does it on a daily basis.
7. It is called the Defense Department, not the Humanitarian Department.
8. Better have a good reason to send some of our soldiers into their death. Don't give me the "no boots on the ground" arguement. We all know there will recon teams on the ground before, during, and after.
9. Unconstitutional without a declaration of war from congress.
10. Politically stupid. Could cost you the next election given how unpopular the idea is. Remember the turnover from the Bank bailout. This is even more unpopular.

God Bless.

[OWB]

While there should be a debate in Congress about whether US intervention is necessary or not, we really do not have a dog in this fight. Assisting the rebels may very well result in either Al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, or a combination of the two having either partial or total control of Syria. This would not be a good situation for us. We should not be the world's policeman, and our founding fathers warned us about engaging in foreign entanglements. With over a $16T US national debt, we can ill afford another war followed by nation building. Such action could prompt the US dollar to lose it status as the world's reserve currency.