One clicks on the latest news from, or of, Syria with the greatest reluctance; this can't be good, it simply cannot be good--what fresh, sulfurous, diabolical news is this, and sure enough, it's always hellish.
The strangest bedfellows relentlessly emerge, and the latest from Syria is that our good friends the Qataris are smuggling to rebel forces shipments of heat-seeking, shoulder-fired, Chinese-made FN-6 missiles, which, say dyspeptic American officials, "could one day be used by terrorist groups, some of them affiliated with Al Qaeda, to shoot down civilian aircraft."
But friends are friends--Qatar is hosting Afghan peace talks; and besides, we've a military base there, which could come in handy when al Nusra starts shooting down civilian aircraft--so we must overlook their, uh, faults.
The latest news of Syria? Even weirder. In the House, the likes of tea-partying Michele Bachmann and Vermont's superprogressive Peter Welch have joined forces to inhibit the president's move to militarily intervene. (And even weirder is that Obama is probably privately rooting them on: "Would somebody please tell me I can't do this?")
The mere idea of a Bachmann-Welch alliance is creepy, but creepier still is that they're right. And the consequent thought of Michele Bachmann trumping Barack Obama in the logic department is at least borderline apocalyptic.
Welcome to the world of strange bedfellows where sleep was never the intention and all parties are trying to screw the other in permutations undreamt of in the Kama Sutra. If Obama wishes to remain a voyeur I'm fine with that. See where Gay marriage lead?
Posted by: Peter G | June 30, 2013 at 08:48 AM
I am in no way a fan of us getting entangled in the Syrian civil war. Nor am I an expert on the above-ground or under-ground global arms emporium. However, what I have gathered from hither and yon makes me skeptical that such weapons are all that impossible to get, regardless of what the Qataris may or may not do. I'd be happy if anyone who knows about such things could provide some more solid information.
Posted by: Charlieford | June 30, 2013 at 11:55 AM
Don't know if you have ever read Aviation Week and Space Technology Charlieford but they are a pretty authoritative source for such capabilities as are at all public when it comes to weapons like this. You may take it that any heavy commercial airliner is a sitting duck for such a weapon at takeffs and landings. It might not take down a heavy multiengine aircraft but it could.
Posted by: Peter G | June 30, 2013 at 12:57 PM
I assume that everyone notices we are not actually doing anything of significance to the US. We are kind of thinking of maybe selling a few more weapons to a a couple of targeted groups - that apparently already getting weapons from Qatar.
It seems more like Obama has called the right's bluff and now has the Tea party attacking the McCain wing.
Well played Mr. President.
P.S. Darryl (and his other brother Darryl) is still in checkmate on the IRS SCANDAL.
P.S.S. Lord Snowden is busily telling the world that the US NSA is is surveilling them - as though they did not know (or guess) it already.
Posted by: Robert Lipscomb | June 30, 2013 at 08:05 PM