# State Department officials call for US military action against Assad **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 17, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620 "2016-06-17T16:57:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/1 "2016-06-17T16:57:06Z")
[CNN reports that State Department officials are calling for U.S. military action against Assad regime](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/16/politics/state-department-syria/) > [@](#): > > More than 50 State Department officials signed an internal memo protesting U.S. policy in Syria, calling for targeted U.S. military strikes against the regime of Bashar al-Assad and urging regime change as the only way to defeat ISIS. Should Obama follow this advice or reject it? Personally I think the advice is foolhardy and dangerous, risking confrontation with the Russians, who would certainly nt sit idly by while their ally was attacked. And to what end? The regime represents a substantial number of Syrians who aren’t just going to disappear when Assad falls. Have these people learned nothing from the disaster that was Iraq post-Saddam? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/2 "2016-06-17T16:58:41Z")
The headline should read _"State Department Officials call for nulcear war_. Cause thats what they are going to get if this happens. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/3 "2016-06-17T17:33:57Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The headline should read _"State Department Officials call for nulcear war_. Cause thats what they are going to get if this happens. Really? How does that work? An Apache helicopter destroys one of Assad’s tanks, and Putin launches hundreds of missiles at Washington, DC? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/4 "2016-06-17T17:53:22Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Really? How does that work? An Apache helicopter destroys one of Assad’s tanks, and Putin launches hundreds of missiles at Washington, DC? An Apache Sqd destroys a column of Syrian Arab Army, killing amongst others Russian Special Forces. Putin orders the VVS to provide cover for Russians and they shoot down American planes, which results in the US attacking Russian Airbases in Syria, the Russians retaliate by sinking a CV in the Med, the Amewricans launch strikes against the Russian Naval Base… and so on until it ends with Minuteman on a 30 kin flight to Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/5 "2016-06-17T17:57:14Z")
Did Tom Clancy write that for you? Nobody’s destroying the world over Syria. It’s not that important to either side. ETA: The Russians could sink 8 carriers and it doesn’t mean there would be nuclear war. I mean, get real. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/6 "2016-06-17T18:33:01Z")
So the Russians kill tens of thousands of American sailors, and we shrug it off? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/7 "2016-06-17T18:48:49Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > So the Russians kill tens of thousands of American sailors, and we shrug it off? If they fight conventionally, we fight conventionally. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/8 "2016-06-17T18:55:30Z")
We’ve done more than enough military adventuring in that part of the world. I would bring our troops home and stay the hell out of it. People have been killing each other over there for thousands of years, and will likely still be at it at the heat death of the universe. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/9 "2016-06-17T18:57:20Z")
You must have heard that on Fox news because I know it to be a heinous lie. Why just the other day I see Obama on the tube telling me the Syrian situation was settled down and we were winning. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/10 "2016-06-17T19:00:43Z")
Alas, the right time to take down Assad was back when he originally crossed the chemical-weapons “redline.” Before Russia was on the field. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/11 "2016-06-17T19:07:23Z")
Obama has been rejecting that advice for years now … I don’t see him changing his mind until November … ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/12 "2016-06-17T19:12:37Z")
Haven’t we all seen a movie with this exact same plot before? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/13 "2016-06-17T20:05:46Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > We’ve done more than enough military adventuring in that part of the world. I would bring our troops home and stay the hell out of it. People have been killing each other over there for thousands of years, and will likely still be at it at the heat death of the universe. I would imagine that leaving isn’t quite as easy as it looks. There are consequences for leaving. I don’t know if we have a choice though. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/14 "2016-06-17T20:07:59Z")
It seems that whenever we take out some dictator who kills and tortures have the people, some religious weirdos take over and kill and torture everyone. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/15 "2016-06-17T20:59:06Z")
You’d think we’d learn taking out the strong man and plunging the country into civil war doesn’t work very well. Syria is already in civil war with who knows how many inside and outside factions in play. How is getting rid of Assad supposed to help? We should probably help Assad reestablish control, stop the mass exodus of refugees and go back to nagging about democratic reforms. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/16 "2016-06-17T21:43:36Z")
Yes, it’s a really great idea to kill dozens or hundreds of Russians in attacking Assad. Brilliant. Can’t wait to see how that plays out. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/17 "2016-06-17T21:56:13Z")
Because we didn’t learn our lesson in Iraq? ISIS will effectively become the government of Syria without Assad. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/18 "2016-06-17T22:18:50Z")
With some emphaiss added > [@](#): > > T **he 51 officials who signed the memo are mostly from the rank and file of the department** , many of them career officers in the foreign service who have been involved in Syria policy over the past several years either in Washington or overseas. > **There are no high-level names** but they reflect a widespread view in the State Department that tougher military action in Syria is needed to force Assad to negotiate a diplomatic solution. Secretary of State John Kerry himself has advocated a more muscular U.S. military posture in Syria to force Assad to negotiate a political settlement. Okay so there’s 51 as opposed to 13,000 Foreign Service employees and 11,000 Civil Service employees (according to wiki). The best CNN can do is try to equate the fringe views of a tiny minority of junior folks that want to go full on regime change to department leadership that is leaning towards an unspecified more aggressive stance without going that far. That overall stance isn’t new. This memo really isn’t meaningful news either. The memo does offer a chance to use some hyperbole and implication to drive traffic. Slow news day CNN?!? Needed to get clicks up? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/19 "2016-06-17T22:25:13Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I would imagine that leaving isn’t quite as easy as it looks. There are consequences for leaving. I don’t know if we have a choice though. I’m far from convinced that the consequences from leaving would be worse than the consequences for staying. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620/20 "2016-06-18T00:59:08Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > . . . We should probably help Assad reestablish control, stop the mass exodus of refugees and go back to nagging about democratic reforms. The utter hell of it is…yeah, that would make more sense than destabilizing him further (which benefits ISIS more than anyone else!) It could be part of a deal: if he stops killing civilians, we’ll stop blowing up his equipment. He might even go for it! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-department-officials-call-for-us-military-action-against-assad/757620.md?page=2)