According to Michael Morell, the CIA’s number two official, who is retiring after 33 years with the agency, Syria is the top threat to U.S. security. This from The Wall Street Journal:
“Michael Morell says the risk is that the Syrian government, which possesses chemical and other advanced weapons, collapses and the country becomes al Qaeda's new haven, supplanting Pakistan. …
‘It's probably the most important issue in the world today,’ he said, ‘because of where it is currently heading.’ Its current track is toward the collapse of its central government, he said. …
The Syrian government's weapons, Mr. Morell said, ‘are going to be up for grabs and up for sale’ as they were in Libya. The violence in Syria has the potential to spill over into Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.”
This is a concern because I don’t think President Obama has a clue what we should be doing in Syria. Last year Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and CIA Director David Petraeus urged President Obama to supply arms to Syrian rebels. (Here, too.) President Obama said no (inter alia, there was a campaign on), but now he has changed his mind. Sort of. There are apparently so many rules and conditions tied to our aid, it is unclear when the aid will get there and how much good it will do. The biggest problem, though, is the Syria’s weapons. Given how poorly we and our allies did in keeping track of Libya’s weapons after Moammar Gaddafi was overthrown, Syria scares me. There is no reason to think we are ready.
With respect to other threats facing the United States, Mr. Morell listed:
- Iran [given how well President Assad respected the “red-line” we drew with respect to Syria using chemical weapons, I am sure Iran won’t be a problem];
- global Al-Qaeda [I thought President Obama said we beat them];
- North Korea; and
- cyberwarfare [at least the NSA is getting in some practice on its spying].
Mr. Morell summed up by saying: "I don't remember a time when there have been so many national-security issues on the front burner as there are today."
Given that President Obama’s solution to most domestic issues is to blame congressional Republicans and then go someplace to give a speech, House Republicans should get ready to be blamed for a lot of foreign problems, too. And the White House better make sure the President’s teleprompter works on 220 current.
Seriously, if Mr. Morell is right about Syria, we are in trouble because I don’t think President Obama knows what to do.
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