Despite the White House\u2019s mistaken impression that Obama can arm jihadist Syrian rebels without permission from Congress, media reports indicate that the administration is lobbying lawmakers for a green light after key congressional committees rebuked the president\u2019s deeply unpopular plan to send military aid to opposition forces in Syria. While members of Congress on both sides of the aisle fret about the potential for U.S. weapons to end up in the hands of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups currently fighting the Assad regime, the administration appears determined to go forward with its scheme. <\/p>\n
Without any semblance of congressional approval, the Obama administration vowed<\/a> last month to intensify its support and start overtly shipping military assistance to rebel forces \u2013 a coalition of mostly Sunni jihadists and designated terror groups backed by Western governments, Arab dictators, and the global establishment<\/a>. U.S. officials claimed \u2013 implausibly<\/a>, according to analysts and investigators \u2013 that the Syrian regime had deployed chemical weapons, which Obama had previously called a \u201cred line.\u201d <\/p>\n As The New American<\/em> reported in late June, Republican and Democrat lawmakers are seeking to restrain Obama<\/a>, citing the U.S. Constitution and national security concerns about arming dubious rebel groups with well-documented links to al-Qaeda. Bi-partisan legislation<\/a> has already been introduced in Congress aimed at stopping the administration from arming Syrian rebels. So far, however, the president has largely ignored lawmakers anyway<\/a>, especially when it comes to foreign policy and unconstitutional wars. <\/p>\n According to a July 8 Reuters report<\/a> citing \u201cfive U.S. national security sources,\u201d Congress might finally be putting its foot down. Both the Senate and House intelligence committees have apparently \u201cexpressed reservations behind closed doors,\u201d the news agency reported, saying Obama\u2019s controversial plot to deepen U.S. government involvement with weapons shipments to the opposition had been \u201cdelayed\u201d by congressional reluctance. Now, top administration officials such as Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, and CIA boss John Brennan are reportedly lobbying hard to sway lawmakers. <\/p>\n Still, Obama does not seem to believe that he needs Congress to sign off on his scheming. \u201cTechnically, the administration does not need specific congressional approval either through public legislation or some kind of legislative sanction process to move ahead with the weapons plan,\u201d Reuters claimed, citing \u201csources\u201d rather than the source of Obama\u2019s authority \u2013 the U.S. Constitution. \u201cThe president already has legal authority to order such shipments, several sources said.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite falsely claiming that congressional approval is not required to deepen U.S. government involvement in the bloody Syrian war, the administration is trying to at least create the impression that lawmakers are being kept in the loop. “As noted at the time we announced the expansion of our assistance to the [rebel] Supreme Military Council, we will continue to consult closely with Congress on these matters,” claimed a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council on Monday. <\/p>\n The next day, discredited White House spokesperson Jay Carney echoed those remarks. “We have consistently stepped up on our assistance to the Syrian opposition, and we are engaged with Congress in discussions about that policy and why we believe it’s the correct policy,” he was quoted as saying in media reports. No mention was made of the fact that Obama has already deployed U.S. troops <\/a>and trainers<\/a> all along Syria\u2019s borders without congressional authorization. \u201cWe were not bluffing,\u201d Carney continued. \u201cThe president was very serious, as I think he made clear.\u201d<\/p>\n Congress, though, does not appear to be playing along. Intelligence Committee \u201cinsiders\u201d cited by The Hill<\/em> said the panels had voted to block<\/a> Obama\u2019s lawless plan by placing \u201csevere restrictions\u201d on funding. Because the committees are dealing with \u201cclassified information,\u201d few details are known publicly about the vote or the measures adopted by lawmakers. However, The Hill<\/em> reported that the restrictions should be enough to stop the planned arms shipments \u2013 at least for now. <\/p>\n \u201cWhatever we do, we have to make sure we do it right,\u201d ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) was quoted as saying Tuesday without elaborating on the funding restrictions. \u201cIf we are going to arm, we have to make sure we have control of what arms are out there and how people are trained to use those arms so they don\u2019t fall into the hands of our enemy al-Qaeda.\u201d Of course, one of the most prominent and effective rebel factions fighting Assad, the al Nusra front, announced a merger with al-Qaeda in April<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, multiple senators also publicly expressed skepticism about Obama\u2019s plan to arm jihadists in Syria, The Hill<\/em> reported. Intelligence Committee member Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), for example, said, \u201cIt\u2019s not clear to me that the administration has a workable policy.\u201d Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and an \u201cex-officio member\u201d of the Intelligence panel, said lawmakers did not even have a \u201cclear picture\u201d of the administration\u2019s decision. <\/p>\n Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) even accused the administration of trying to get the scheme to arm rebels approved in secret by going to the Intelligence Committee. \u201cThey should come and talk about this openly,\u201d he was quoted as saying about the self-styled \u201cmost transparent\u201d administration. \u201cIt puts the Intelligence Committee in a very awkward place. All of a sudden, they own it.\u201d <\/p>\n According to news reports citing officials, no U.S. weapons have reached the Syrian rebels yet. However, as The New American<\/em> and publications around the world have documented for months, the Obama administration and the CIA have played a key role in funneling weapons provided by Sunni despots to jihadist forces<\/a> on the ground in Syria. American troops have also been training the rebel fighters<\/a>. Of course, as officials documents released by WikiLeaks revealed, U.S. taxpayers have been financing the Syrian opposition since long before open warfare broke out, too.\u00a0 <\/p>\n The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, which is at the center of the Islamist rebellion against Assad\u2019s secular regime, has been loudly complaining about being \u201cabandoned and disappointed\u201d because Obama has not been even more supportive. However, at least one Syrian rebel commander, who gained international notoriety after eating a dead soldier\u2019s body organs on video, threatened to unleash a wave of even more horrifying atrocities if Obama did not immediately comply with his demands. \u201cIf we don\u2019t get help, a no-fly zone, heavy weapons, we will do worse [than I did],\u201d cannibal commander Abu Sakkar told<\/a> BBC. \u201cYou\u2019ve seen nothing yet.\u201d <\/p>\n Aside from cannibalism, the jihadist rebels have also been criticized for a wide array of other reasons. Among the most serious: well-documented links to terrorist organizations<\/a>, seeking to impose Sharia law<\/a> in a nation with a significant non-Muslim population, using chemical weapons<\/a>, massacring civilians<\/a>, firing on protesters<\/a>, ethnic cleansing of minorities like Christians<\/a> and Shia Muslims, threatening to attack the West, beheading a Catholic priest<\/a>, and more. The list of atrocities perpetrated by rebels continues to grow every day.<\/p>\n Of course, the Assad dictatorship, a former ally of the U.S. government<\/a>, has been responsible for more than its fair share of atrocities as well \u2013 horrors stretching back decades, in fact. It now has the support of the Russian government and the Iranian regime, along with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. However, despite the existing despot\u2019s long track record of abuses and brutality, few analysts expect Syria to improve under the leadership of establishment-backed Islamist rebels, so it is not clear why Obama and his neoconservative allies are so determined to support the \u201crevolution.\u201d More than a few experts say Iran is the real target.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n Already, an estimated 100,000 people have died in the fighting in Syria, with another million or more having fled the country. News reports indicate that the regime is still holding strong, though at this point, that is impossible to determine with certainty. As foreign powers continue feeding the fire by pouring weapons and money into Syria, however, innocent civilians \u2013 especially Christians \u2013 will keep paying the price.<\/p>\n Photo of President Barack Obama: AP Images<\/em><\/p>\n Alex Newman, a foreign correspondent for <\/em>The New American, is currently based in Europe. He can be reached at Related articles:<\/p>\n House and Senate Bills Would Block Military Aid to Syria <\/a><\/p>\n Lawmakers Seek to Stop Obama Arming Terrorists in Syria <\/a><\/p>\n President Obama OKs Shipment of Arms to Al-Qaeda in Syria <\/a><\/p>\n Without Asking Congress, Obama Puts U.S. Troops on Syria Border <\/a><\/p>\n Catholic Priest Beheaded by Islamic Terrorists in Syria <\/a><\/p>\n Western-backed Syrian Rebels Massacre Shia Villagers<\/a><\/p>\n Clinton: Obama Will Ignore Congress on Libya War <\/a><\/p>\n Syrian Rebel Alliance Openly Threatens Ethnic Cleansing <\/a><\/p>\n Syrian Rebels Massacre Christian Village <\/a><\/p>\n Russia to Arm Syria, EU Lifts Embargo on Rebels <\/a><\/p>\n Oops! Sen. McCain Met Syrian Rebels Accused of Kidnapping <\/a><\/p>\n Obama-backed Syrian Rebels \u201cEthnic Cleansing\u201d Christians <\/a><\/p>\n Syrian Christians Fear Genocide if al-Assad Falls to Muslim Extremists<\/a><\/p>\n Christian Massacres: A Result of U.S. Foreign Policy <\/a><\/p>\n Libyan Rebels Accused of “Ethnic Cleansing,” Black Genocide <\/a><\/p>\n Rand Paul: Senate Is Arming Al-Qaeda and Rushing to War in Syria <\/a><\/p>\n Syrian Rebels Fire on Civilian Protesters <\/a><\/p>\n Syrian Rebel Leader Filmed Eating Soldier\u2019s Body Organs<\/a><\/p>\n Obama Plots Openly Arming Jihadist Rebels in Syria <\/a><\/p>\n Obama Unsure Who\u2019s Behind Syrian Chemical Attacks \u2013 or Is He? <\/a><\/p>\n Top Syrian Rebel Group Merges With Al-Qaeda in Iraq <\/a><\/p>\n Obama Paves Way to Arm Muslim Brotherhood-linked Regime in Somalia <\/a><\/p>\n Obama-backed War Making Syria a Jihad Haven; Europe Threatened <\/a><\/p>\n Al-Qaeda & the West Back Syrian Rebels Against Assad <\/a><\/p>\n Obama-backed Egypt Forging \u201cOne Nation\u201d With Sudan Terror Regime <\/a><\/p>\n U.S. Involvement in Syrian War Becoming More Apparent <\/a><\/p>\n Chemical Weapons Charge May Be Pretext to Put U.S. Troops in Syria <\/a><\/p>\n Reports: U.S. Personnel Arming and Training Syrian Rebels <\/a><\/p>\n Without Congress, Obama Deepens Overt U.S. Support for Syrian War<\/a><\/p>\n Most Arms Shipments to Syria Go to Jihadists<\/a><\/p>\n Should Pres. Obama be Detained for Violating the NDAA?<\/a><\/p>\n
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