This is incredible this "Syria Accountability Act."

[Kremer]

"Today, I have signed into law HR 1828, the 'Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003,'" Bush said in a statement released by the White House on Friday.


And it gives the administration a range of options for punishing Damascus, from restricting US exports and business investment to downgrading Washington's diplomatic representation and imposing travel restrictions on Syrian diplomats in the United States.

WAIT, doesn't this whole act deal w/ what?

INTERNATIONAL LAW!!!!!!!! Syria should laugh and say "I guess I better call my lawyer." Right? Somebody has to call him on this. One of the candidates in a debate should ask, "Mr. pResident, how can you possibly expect Syria to honor this act when you yourself basically said there is no intl law? Are you saying it applies for everyone else but US? What will you say Mr. pResident if Syria laughs and says they are going to call their lawyer?" WORKS BOTH WAYS PAL. God, why can't somebody, even just on principle, take a stand and use his own tactics on him. It's too easy and shows how wrong he is.

[PretzelWarrior]

1. I'd love it if some tinhorn dictator popped off like that....but

I'd like it even better if the p!ss poor white house press corps would do it. They should really collude to force the issue on one or two major questions and force president to either answer them or cut press conference short in a huff after flipping the bird at them.

Is the White House mad at Kerry for dropping an F-bomb? Or for being right? I think we all know the answer. Just ask a guy named Clymer.

[DjTj]

2. wow...i wrote the decision memo to dianne feinstein...

...to cosponsor this act when i was an intern in her office two summers ago...

there isn't really a point to this post, but it just amuses me something I was reading carefully last year actually became law.

[rucky]

5. I have an important question about the bill.

I can still eat falafel, right?

[incapsulated]

6. That's Freedomafels, now! n/t

[oasis]

3. Righto...no international law.

[incapsulated]

4. But it's not about international law...

It's a warning shot. :(

[oasis]

7. PNAC is lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.

[Scurrilous]

8. Syrian President Bashar Assad....

...should enact his own law, " The United States Accountability and Iraqi Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003." Just for laughs.

[LeftistGorilla]

9. Syrians...

must find this weird...
only a couple of monthes ago Bush was sending Canadians there for torture.....

[Muddleoftheroad]

10. Syria

Despite its mild attempt at helping the U.S. after 9-11, Syria has been on government terror watch lists for about a couple decades including during the entire Clinton administration. They are not even vaguely close to being our friends.

[Scurrilous]

13. Lest we forget....

...these vaguely friendly Syrians fought alongside US troops in the Gulf War. Gotta count for something.

[incapsulated]

11. Ok, I googled this...

It seems this is an old thing that has been revived (yes, it's newsmax, but it gives you the rundown):

In 2002, well before the war in Iraq focused attention on Syria’s terrorist connections, Saddam sympathies, and military aid to the enemy, elements in the U.S. Congress were ready to unload sanctions on the Arab country. Now that stalled effort is back on track with new momentum spawned by a White House that is calling the Hezbollah- harboring country a “rogue nation.”

Last year, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., introduced the Syria Accountability Act -- only to see it languish as the Bush administration reportedly worked behind the scenes to quash it as a distraction from Iraq and as inappropriate considering Syria’s ostensible cooperation with the U.S. in ferreting out al-Qaida.

But Rep. Eliot L. Engel, D-N.Y., reintroduced the Syria Accountability Act in the House a week ago, remarking, "I just think it is really time to get tough with Syria."

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/4/18/211104.shtml

[JasonFromWaltham]

12. Kerry's Letter concerning this

One of the reasons I left the Kerry camp was because of this letter I got from his Senatorial office a few months ago in response to my concern over this bill. For my entier life Syria has been a problem. I do not see why we are poking them with a stick now.

Sorry to report this,
Jason

October 23, 2003


Dear Mr. Davis:

Thank you for your letter regarding the Syria Accountability Act. I
appreciate knowing your views on this important issue.

As you may know, Syria has an extensive history of human rights
violations, connections with terrorism, arms proliferation, previous
involvement in narcotics trafficking, and illegal occupation of
Lebanon.
The Syrian government has historically ruled by methods such as
torture,
arbitrary arrest and detention, prolonged detention without trial, and
limits on freedom of speech and the press. Since 1979, the State
Department has regularly placed Syria on the list of countries that
support international terrorism, and has also accused Syria of pursuing
a
nuclear weapons program.

I supported talks between Secretary of State Colin Powell and Syrian
President Bashar al-Asad, which took place on May 3, 2003. At this
time,
Secretary Powell iterated that Syria must stop supporting terrorist
organizations and harboring escapees from Iraq. Since the meeting,
Secretary Powell has said that Syria has taken some limited steps
towards
reform, but that these limited steps are not enough. Like Secretary
Powell, I am concerned that Syria is not whole-heartedly working
towards
meeting U.S. demands. We must ensure that Syria does not acquire and
distribute additional weapons thereby exasperating tensions in the
Middle
East, raising potential threats to Israel, and undermining arms
control.



I cosponsored the Syria Accountability Act to hold Syria responsible
for
its support for terrorism, occupation of Lebanon, and possible pursuit
of
weapons of mass destruction. I am hopeful
that substantial Congressional support for the Accountability Act will
influence Syria to meet the demands raised by Colin Powell in May in a
more timely and transparent manner. The Accountability Act includes
bans
on the export of military items and of dual use items to Syria, and
requires the president to impose at least two additional bans, chosen
from
the six included in the Accountability Act. The Accountability Act
does
not give the president the option of prohibiting the U.S. from
exporting
food and medicine to Syria.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your views with me on
this
important matter.


Sincerely,

John F. Kerry
United States Senator