Trump Blames Obama for Yesterdays attack on Syria

[Niamh.]

Classy.

The scale and horror of Tuesday’s gas attack on civilians in Idlib highlighted the vacuum in the Trump administration’s foreign policymaking: the incident was met first by silence, then by criticism of Barack Obama.

Donald Trump described the attack, which killed scores of victims, including many children, as a direct “consequence” of his predecessor’s Syria policy.

“These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the last administration’s weakness and irresolution,” he said in a statement. “President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a ‘red line’ against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.”

The reflex illustrated Trump’s enduring sense of being in his predecessor’s shadow, reinforcing the impression given by his obsessive tweeting of unsubstantiated claims that Obama wiretapped him.

As with healthcare, Trump’s policy on Syria has been defined by the desire to unpick Obama’s legacy – without a clear picture of what would replace it.

In the absence of a clear vision, the initial response to on Tuesday was silence.

The Idlib attack was swiftly condemned by western capitals and congressional leaders, but the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson – who was visiting neighbouring Jordan at the time – ignored a press question about it, retaining his customary silence in the face of daily world events.

He recently described himself as “not a media press access person”.

On Tuesday morning, Trump addressed a builders’ conference, but made no mention of the attack.

It was only later in the day that the White House spokesman read out a statement from the president, in which Trump used the occasion to score a domestic political point against the Obama administration.

He pointed out that Obama had set down a “red line” in 2012 on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but argued that Obama then “did nothing” when the Assad regime carried out a mass gas attack against the town of Ghouta in August 2013.

Obama did not carry out air strikes but organised with Russia to move Syria’s declared arsenal of chemical weapons out of the country to be destroyed.

There was nothing in Trump’s statement to indicate how the US might respond differently from the Obama administration.

After the Ghouta attack in 2013, Trump had argued vociferously against US military action in Syria. On 7 September of that year, he tweeted: “President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your ‘powder’ for another (and more important) day!”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/04/syria-gas-attack-trump-us-foreign-policy?CMP=fb_gu

[Livia]

He's a scary, scary man. I can still barely believe he is president.

[Niamh.]

He's a scary, scary man. I can still barely believe he is president.

He really is.

[Livia]

He really is.

I feel like it's SO unlikely to have happened that I am going to wake up and Hilary will be president.

[Niamh.]

I feel like it's SO unlikely to have happened that I am going to wake up and Hilary will be president.

Not that she's much better mind but atleast she might just listen to advisers etc and isn't a giant narcissistic man child who doesn't care about anything other himself and getting pay back on celebrities and ex presidents who people liked more :worry:

[Livia]

Not that she's much better mind but atleast she might just listen to advisers etc and isn't a giant narcissistic man child who doesn't care about anything other himself and getting pay back on celebrities and ex presidents who people liked more :worry:

I Agree, and that's a fair description of him. I was never a Hilary fan, but she looks pretty good next to Trump.

[MTVN]

tbf lots of people think Obama was very weak on Syria though. The fact he set out a clear 'red line' over the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing when they were used is one of the most infamous moments of his Presidency

[Niamh.]

tbf lots of people think Obama was very weak on Syria though. The fact he set out a clear 'red line' over the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing when they were used is one of the most infamous moments of his Presidency

So the attack is his fault?

[MTVN]

So the attack is his fault?

Not his fault but the fact that the Syrian government continues to use chemical weapons is partly a failure of US policy

[Niamh.]

Not his fault but the fact that the Syrian government continues to use chemical weapons is partly a failure of US policy

I didn't think so

[MTVN]

Someone has to play devil's advocate while LT is away :whistle:

[Northern Monkey]

tbf lots of people think Obama was very weak on Syria though. The fact he set out a clear 'red line' over the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing when they were used is one of the most infamous moments of his Presidency

Yes.I said exactly the same in another thread yesterday but in relation to Britain doing nothing back when we had the chance in 2012 before Russia fortified the Assad regime.

[Niamh.]

Someone has to play devil's advocate while LT is away :whistle:

I'll be waiting patiently for your "Kate McCann is innocent" thread :fan:

[Brillopad]

tbf lots of people think Obama was very weak on Syria though. The fact he set out a clear 'red line' over the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing when they were used is one of the most infamous moments of his Presidency

I think that as president he had some accountability for his policies and if he did nothing when they went ahead and used them anyway it gave out the message that such a policy is all bluster and no action. Governments' have to back such policies with action or they will be abused.

[Niamh.]

Just going to leave this here......... :idc:

Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
The only reason President Obama wants to attack Syria is to save face over his very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack Syria,fix U.S.A.
12:13 PM - 5 Sep 2013

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/trump-syria-obama-tweets-hypocrisy-chemical-attack

[Northern Monkey]

Just going to leave this here......... :idc:

Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
The only reason President Obama wants to attack Syria is to save face over his very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack Syria,fix U.S.A.
12:13 PM - 5 Sep 2013

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/trump-syria-obama-tweets-hypocrisy-chemical-attack

Yep,He's obvs having a shot at Obama.However i think he's right now.

[Niamh.]

Yep,He's obvs having a shot at Obama.However i think he's right now.

He's a hypocrite though and is only doing it because he's jealous of how much everyone loved Obama, because he's a big child

[Northern Monkey]

He's a hypocrite though and is only doing it because he's jealous of how much everyone loved Obama, because he's a big child

Ok:laugh:

[Niamh.]

Ok:laugh:

https://saboteur365.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/baby-trump-dancing-gif.gif

[Tom4784]

He's spiralling, he'll quit or be forced out before Christmas.

[Northern Monkey]

https://saboteur365.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/baby-trump-dancing-gif.gif

:joker:

[Tom4784]

Complaining about the mistakes of the past is pointless when Trump has the power to fix flawed policies if he so wished to.

[Withano]

Just going to leave this here......... :idc:

Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
The only reason President Obama wants to attack Syria is to save face over his very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack Syria,fix U.S.A.
12:13 PM - 5 Sep 2013

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/trump-syria-obama-tweets-hypocrisy-chemical-attack

Hes painful. Its like the USA all just decided to prank the rest of the world for a laugh.

[user104658]

Complaining about the mistakes of the past is pointless when Trump has the power to fix flawed policies if he so wished to.

Theresa May loaned him the Tory handbook. "If anything is good, it was us! If anything is bad, it was the fault of the previous leader and / or government and there's nothing we can do about it now!"

He's taken credit for things that the ball was already rolling on before he came into office. Yet blames anything negative or unpopular on Obama, also.

[Northern Monkey]

I think the prank was putting Hilary Clinton up as a viable opposition to Trump.Trump would never have got in office against an even half decent opponent.

[Niamh.]

I think the prank was putting Hilary Clinton up as a viable opposition to Trump.Trump would never have got in office against an even half decent opponent.

Yeah, that's true too

[Tom4784]

I think the prank was putting Hilary Clinton up as a viable opposition to Trump.Trump would never have got in office against an even half decent opponent.

I'll always reject this thought process and any threads of logic that's amongst the lines of 'Well Hillary wasn't much better than Trump!'

She's a politician, one with actual experience on the global stage and one that knows how to play the game rather than floundering in a spiral of childlike anger like Trump. Electing Trump was like being on a plane and saying 'You know what? We don't need that qualified pilot to fly this plane, put this toddler in the pilot's seat instead!'

Trump would have probably won against most candidates, he had outside help and his victory was assured by the ignorance of the voting public. Even someone like Bernie Sanders would have struggled to win because hate and intolerence has more sway with people than love and acceptance and that's why Trump won.

[Withano]

because hate and intolerence has more sway with people than love and acceptance and that's why Trump won.

This is deep! And genuinely, probably true.

[Northern Monkey]

I'll always reject this thought process and any threads of logic that's amongst the lines of 'Well Hillary wasn't much better than Trump!'

She's a politician, one with actual experience on the global stage and one that knows how to play the game rather than floundering in a spiral of childlike anger like Trump. Electing Trump was like being on a plane and saying 'You know what? We don't need that qualified pilot to fly this plane, put this toddler in the pilot's seat instead!'

Trump would have probably won against most candidates, he had outside help and his victory was assured by the ignorance of the voting public. Even someone like Bernie Sanders would have struggled to win because hate and intolerence has more sway with people than love and acceptance and that's why Trump won.
What you perceive as hate and intolerance is more likely dissenfranchisement from the rust belt states who are sick to the back teeth of the system that's been dragging them down and ruining their towns and putting them into poverty by closing their industries down.
Trump however bad he is was seen as the anti politician and seems to be making good on his promises.
On top Hilary being a disgraceful only other option.Bernie would've had a better chance than Hillary.
Not to mention Hillary would more than likely be trying to impose her no-fly zone over Syria now after this latest chemical attack putting the world in an extremely dangerous position.Direct conflict with Russia.
Unfortunately it's too late to do anything about Assad now because the Obama administration did'nt have the resolve to make a stand when the opportunity was there.

[Tom4784]

What you perceive as hate and intolerance is more likely disenfranchisement from the rust belt states who are sick to the back teeth of the system that's been dragging them down and ruining their towns and putting them into poverty by closing their industries down.
Trump however bad he is was seen as the anti politician and seems to be making good on his promises.
On top Hilary being a disgraceful only other option.Bernie would've had a better chance than Hillary.
Not to mention Hillary would more than likely be trying to impose her no-fly zone over Syria now after this latest chemical attack putting the world in an extremely dangerous position.Direct conflict with Russia.
Unfortunately it's too late to do anything about Assad now because the Obama administration did'nt have the resolve to make a stand when the opportunity was there.

In this case disenfranchisement is just another word for ignorance. Many warnings about Trump's presidency have already come to pass but people ignored that because he was playing to their bigotry.

Let's be real here, Hillary would never have lived up to that promise, she would have kept the boat on the same course that Obama had set because that course was safe. She was all hot air but she was hot air that wouldn't have shook the boat. It's better to have someone like that than to glorify Trump for following up on his promises when he has sown discord through the muslim ban, tried to **** over the entire public when it comes to medical care and is the process of attacking Women's Rights through the act of defunding Planned Parenthood.

[DemolitionRed]

Took me a bit to find this post

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/factcheck/fact-check-trump-faulting-obama-on-syria-contradicts-himself/ar-BBzmCiF?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp
fact check I like this line

In more than a dozen messages on Twitter in 2013 and 2014, Mr. Trump repeated his advice, emphatically stating that “Syria is NOT our problem,” appealing directly to Mr. Obama to “not attack Syria” as “there is no upside and tremendous downside” and telling him to “stay out of Syria.”

[Kizzy]

He's been forced to shut his trap about N korea so he's going personal on someone he feels safe won't nuke him.

[the truth]

In this case disenfranchisement is just another word for ignorance. Many warnings about Trump's presidency have already come to pass but people ignored that because he was playing to their bigotry.

Let's be real here, Hillary would never have lived up to that promise, she would have kept the boat on the same course that Obama had set because that course was safe. She was all hot air but she was hot air that wouldn't have shook the boat. It's better to have someone like that than to glorify Trump for following up on his promises when he has sown discord through the muslim ban, tried to **** over the entire public when it comes to medical care and is the process of attacking Women's Rights through the act of defunding Planned Parenthood.

None of that addresses what should have been done in syria before and now....She supplied ISIS directly with weapons and tanks and she then tried to delete all the evidence of this. Her role was a disaster. All we seem to want is for trump to say nasty things about putin to the press...to what end? We need a new strategy , the last one has been a disaster

[jaxie]

The news was saying Trump will take military action.