Dempsey defied Kerry over Syria

"... the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the usually mild-mannered Army General Martin Dempsey, spoke up, loudly. According to several sources, Dempsey threw a series of brushback pitches at Kerry, demanding to know just exactly what the post-strike plan would be and pointing out that the State Department didn’t fully grasp the complexity of such an operation. Dempsey informed Kerry that the Air Force could not simply drop a few bombs, or fire a few missiles, at targets inside Syria: To be safe, the U.S. would have to neutralize Syria’s integrated air-defense system, an operation that would require 700 or more sorties. At a time when the U.S. military is exhausted, and when sequestration is ripping into the Pentagon budget, Dempsey is said to have argued that a demand by the State Department for precipitous military action in a murky civil war wasn’t welcome."  Bloomberg

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Powell is a weakling compared to Dempsey.  We all saw that in Powell's abject surrender to the neocons in presenting evidence to the UN that he must have known was bogus.  He should have told the old biddy to stick it in her ear.  The Secretary of State has no authority over the armed forces.  How many divisions does Kerry have?  pl  

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-18/pentagon-shoots-down-kerry-s-syria-airstrike-plan.html

 

Comments

[Fred]

I was expecting to see a photo of Kerry windsurfing. It would make a good split screen with Mr. Yellow Cake.

My respect for General Dempsey increases daily.

[Alba Etie]

Col Lang
At the risk of repeating myself; and exhibiting the symptoms of the dreaded unwarranted optimism disease I have always held hope that,-- and expected the Realist in the BHO administration would overmatch the neocons . I would imagine Sec of Defense Hagels reaction to Kerry et al would have been much the same as General Dempsey . Ever the romantic I still maintain we will not be going to Syria.( Jonst do you have any reaction to Genral Dempsey's push back on the no fly zone ?)

[toto]

The silver lining in these reports is that apparently, BHO is still mostly clinging to the reality-based side.

For now.

[Charles I]

Guess the real question is whether the requisite forces to do a proper campaign & maintain it if actually ordered up?

[William R. Cumming]

Amazing how simple honesty is refreshing at highest levels of USA policy making and so short in supply.

[Harper]

It was a one-two punch to the war party. At the G-8 summit, Putin refused to go along with any regime change formulation and made the point that, among the Syrian rebels, are a bunch of cannibals, who not only kill their enemies, but cut them open and eat their intestines in front of cameras. He later equated the rebels with the two jihadists who butchered the young British soldier in broad daylight on the streets of London. People who have a sense of the consequences of real war are opposed, adamently, to letting this Syria situation get out of control. Psychos like John McCain, Robert Menendez and Carl Levin, who are demanding direct US air strikes on Syria and a full blown US intervention to oust Assad clearly have no idea what warfare is all about. They are a menace to civilization.

[Alba Etie]

Isn't it ironic that Putin is the voice of reason on Syria .

[YT]

Well, Chechnya is in his backyard, so...

America has raghead majority whereabouts?

[Tyler]

Its also worthwhile to note that McCain, Levin, and Menendez are all in favor of the same insane amnesty act as well.

Globalists through and through, no matter what party they subscribe to.

[Alba Etie]

Not a dimes worth of difference "
Gov George Wallace

[Fred]

YT, just who are you referring to with the racist comment? If you are referring to America's Muslims there are 3,000,000 or so of them. That is far more than in Chechnya.