OMG, check out what McCain said about arming ISIS

[Electric Monk]

(at 1:31 in video) McCain: "Hillary Clinton has described already the meeting at the Whitehouse over two years ago, everyone in the National Security Team recommended arming ISIS and the President, by himself, turned it down. Just like, by himself, he decided not to strike Syria after he said that they'd crossed a red line."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5566321

So, this begs the question, did they subsequently do it anyway behind President Obama's back?

[unblock]

1. two years ago? arming isis?

can't watch the video at work but i'm confused.

[CJCRANE]

2. McCain is conflating "Syrian Rebels" with "ISIS".

It's a Freudian slip but it indicates he realizes that the good and bad rebels are pretty much the same thing.

[KurtNYC]

12. They were talking about the FSA right before he said it AND Obama's

position 2 years ago was to aid but stop short of arming the FSA.

I agree that McCain didn't catch his own slip there because there just isn't that much difference in his mind between the two. There is also very little difference in the funding of ISIS versus that for FSA:

(2012) A U.S. government source acknowledged that under provisions of the presidential finding, the United States was collaborating with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies.

Last week, Reuters reported that, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey had established a secret base near the Syrian border to help direct vital military and communications support to Assad's opponents.
...
Turkey's moderate Islamist government has been demanding Assad's departure with growing vehemence. Turkish authorities are said by current and former U.S. government officials to be increasingly involved in providing Syrian rebels with training and possibly equipment.

European government sources said wealthy families in Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing significant financing to the rebels. Senior officials of the Saudi and Qatari governments have publicly called for Assad's departure.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/01/us-usa-syria-obama-order-idUSBRE8701OK20120801

The oil exports that ISIS controls are now moving through Turkey so in many ways it looks like ISIS has emerged as the most competent force fighting Assad with obvious coordination in Turkey.

The whole thing is a bit complicated perhaps for McCain at this point. He confuses FSA with ISIS and given time will probably be confusing Assad with Obama because McCain wants to oust both of them. He isn't far from it in that clip as he basically argues that ISIS is a major reason for Fox viewers to abandon/distrust/replace Obama.

[CJCRANE]

14. I'm beginning to wonder how "moderate" Turkey's Islamist government is.

Do they have a hidden agenda to bring back the (Ottoman) Caliphate?

[KurtNYC]

15. A good question - what's in this for Turkey?

Sometimes these proxy wars can siphon off the extremists in a country like Turkey. There is also money, weapons and oil which they can get their cut on. I feel like the Russia/Ukraine thing plays into this to also -- NATO gets a foothold in Syria while Russia gets one in Ukraine. Turkey is a NATO country and ousting Assad gets Russia out of Syrian ports on the Mediterranean (or starts WWIII...).

I know Turkey, like other neighbors, want Assad out but I have seen nothing about what they expect or want to happen to Syria if or when Assad is gone.

[louis-t]

3. Obama is still the smartet guy in the room.

And obviously John McCain, just like, by himself, is one of the dumbest.

[maddiemom]

4. Listen carefully, and see if you can repeat McCain's position in your own words.

We should have armed ISIS, but Obama was alone in not wanting to do so. If we had, would they be no threat now? Would ISIS be our friend? I'm getting very confused. Is ISIS mad at us because we didn't arm them? Otherwise would everything be copacetic in the area?

[CJCRANE]

10. It makes sense when you realize that McCain's primary concern

is toppling Assad. He doesn't care who we arm to do it.

[Voice for Peace]

13. mmmmmmmmmmm... I think his primary concern is something else.

Being right, for one thing.

[still_one]

5. There are some essential questions that mccain needs to be asked:

1 Does the person understand the information about the decision to be made (the Act calls this “relevant information”).
2 Can the person retain that information in their mind long enough to use it to make an effective decision.
3 Can the person use or weigh that information as part of the decision making process.
4 Can the person communicate their decision (by talking, using sign language or any other means).

[drynberg]

6. NOW WAIT A MINUTE...ISN'T NOT ARMING A GOOD THING? IS GRAMPS NUTS?

McCain is embarrassing, no?

[DJ13]

7. Yes & Yes

[Thespian2]

8. Too Difficult

to listen to a gas-bag who has no clue about much of anything...except how to crash military jets, finally getting himself caught by the Viet Cong. Unfortunate that this asshole is busily spouting his bullshit from so many media outlets, especially Fux.

[951-Riverside]

9. Its not the first or last time McTraitor has made a statement like that

HANNITY: Let me ask you about what your colleague, Rand Paul, said about it this morning. He said it's a mistake to arm them. Most of the arms we've given the so-called moderate rebels have wound up in the hands of ISIS because ISIS simply takes it from them or it is given to them, and we mistakenly actually end up giving it to some radicals. How -- how -- look, things are very...

MCCAIN: Has Rand Paul -- has Rand Paul ever been to Syria? Has he ever met with ISIS? Has he ever met with...

HANNITY: I'm not trying to cause a fight, Senator.

MCCAIN: ... any of these people? No, no, no. I -- we're going to have a fight because it's patently false. This is the same Rand Paul that said we didn't want to have anything to do with anything to do in the Middle East, by the way. I don't want to get in a fight with him at all.

HANNITY: Yes.

MCCAIN: But it's not true. I know these people. I'm in contact with them all the time...

HANNITY: All right, then let me ask you this...

MCCAIN: ... and he is not. And he is not. And he is not.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/transcript/2014/09/16/mccain-lack-mideast-help-result-american-indecision

[KurtNYC]

16. Hannity tries to keep him on the rails there. Cuts McCain off twice

when he is bragging about how well he knows ISIS but McCain just goes on, like a jealous lover.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. For those that claim that's not Isis keep in mind it was posted BY Isis to prove they were legit.

[marble falls]

11. Everyonce in a while, someone appears as a poster-child ripe for medication. Today I give you ...

yet again, Senator John McCain. Somebody give this guy an MRI.