Rice won't rule out attack against Syria

[norml]

Rice won't rule out attack against Syria
By Michael Gawenda
Washington
October 21, 2005


SECRETARY of State Condoleezza Rice has refused to rule out military action against Syria and, under fierce questioning during her appearance before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she could not say whether US troops would still be in Iraq in 10 years.

Asked whether military action against Syria would require congressional approval, Dr Rice said she "didn't want to try to circumscribe presidential war powers … and the President retains those powers in the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq".

"I'm not going to get into what the President's options might be," she said. "But the course on which we are now launched is a diplomatic course vis-a-vis Syria."

In an often tense 2½ hours of questioning by members of the committee, Dr Rice said Syria remained a major transit route for foreign fighters entering Iraq, though she stopped short of accusing Syria of facilitating the flow of foreign fighters into the country.

Dr Rice said the Bush Administration was also thinking about opening up some sort of diplomatic dialogue with Iran in an attempt to get it to co-operate in shutting down the insurgency in Iraq.


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http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/rice-wont-rule-out-attack-against-syria/2005/10/20/1129775901823.html

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Go for it Condi...take all your neo-con friends and go for it. Hopefully,

the American people and the military will refuse your invitation to attend.

[punpirate]

2. Uh, Condi, can you say...

... Cambodia? Ah, I knew you could....

"didn't want to try to circumscribe presidential war powers--and the President retains those powers in the war on terrorism...."

That's the crux of the biscuit. There is no declared war on terrorism. There is no Congressional approval to widen the war to another country, but this administration has decided to do whatever they want to do.

And to those who have argued over the years for a stronger Executive, this is where that thinking leads. We never wanted a king, but we got one, nevertheless....