Robert Gates Warns Against No-Fly Zone in Syria: We Don’t Need Another Middle East War!
- Robert Gates Warns Against No-Fly Zone in Syria: We Don’t Need Another Middle East War!
by http://larouchepac.com/
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave another interview warning against Obama’s going to war against Syria. Speaking to the Wichita (KS) Eagle on Oct. 13, Gates attacked Obama’s Syria policy on two grounds: Creating a no-fly zone is an act of war, and arming the opposition in Syria could be arming Al Qaeda.
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“I just like to remind people that no-fly zones begin with an act of war. It begins with an air attack on a country, and you’re just crossing your fingers that they don’t react and you get yourself in a third war in the Middle East in 11 years,” Gates said. He specifically identified Al Qaeda as part of the Syrian opposition, adding, “I’m not being cute in saying this, but the truth is we don’t know what, if anything, the Obama administration is doing.” He stressed that the U.S. “need[s] to work with the Turks … a close NATO ally” to reach a resolution that is not another war.
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Though he would not comment about Benghazi because he is not in the current briefing loop, Gates is seriously worried about Libya and the upcoming defense cuts in sequestration that he called “crazy.” He said that the defense budget, which is 15% of federal expenditures, will take a hit of 50% of the cuts under sequestration. He called it, “the most mindless possible kind of cut because it’s across the board,” and added, “The whole sequestion scenario reminds me of the scene in ‘Blazing Saddles’ where the sheriff holds a gun to his head and says, ‘Don’t make me shoot this man.’ ”
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Blasting the current political mess in both parties, Gates said he hopes “there are enough adults left after the election” to get the budget “fixed” before sequestration takes effect.
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Echoing Lyndon LaRouche’s Friday webcasts, Gates called on “politicians” to “get beyond their partisanship and do the right thing for the country.”
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