Obama warns Putin on intervening in Syria's civil war

Paris (CNN)President Barack Obama warned his Russian counterpart Tuesday against intervening in Syria's civil war, suggesting that Vladimir Putin is aware of the dangers his country faces by entering the bloody conflict.

"I think Mr. Putin understands that ... with Afghanistan fresh in the memory, for him to simply get bogged down in an inconclusive and paralyzing civil conflict is not the outcome that he's looking for," Obama said at a news conference in Paris.

Obama said he does not disagree with Putin -- with whom he met on Monday -- on the necessity of a political resolution to Syria's conflict. But he said there remains discord over the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who the United States insists must leave power as part of a political transition. But he said the reality on the ground in Syria could change Putin's calculus.

"I think it is possible over the next several months that we both see a shift in calculation in the Russians and a recognition that it's time to bring the civil war in Syria to a close," Obama said. "It's not going to be easy."
Obama said that he leaves the major climate change conference -- that united world leaders in one city -- with confidence in the forward trajectory of his ISIS strategy, which he said must include new efforts to stamp out financing for the terror network.

Speaking at the tail end of his visit to the French capital, Obama said he was "confident that we can continue building momentum and adding resources to our effort to degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State terror network that was responsible for last month's Paris attacks.


More at:

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/01/politics/obama-paris-press-conference/index.html?eref=edition


Perhaps he should contact Cameron and explain the dangers?

That would make more sense if the US was only engaged in political talk rather than bombing Syria.

Shouldn't this be posted in the Joke of the Day forum?

Hotwired wrote:Shouldn't this be posted in the Joke of the Day forum?

Why are Republicans such Putin nut-huggers these days? Is it the anti-gay thing, the anti-Obama thing, or the former KGB officer thing?

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Hotwired wrote:Shouldn't this be posted in the Joke of the Day forum?

Why are Republicans such Putin nut-huggers these days? Is it the anti-gay thing, the anti-Obama thing, or the former KGB officer thing?

Republicans are frustrated.  Obama has outfoxed them on every avenue...he has turned their designed inactivity into a checkmate everywhere: on war, he stays out if it in Syria because they won't pass a war bill; on immigration, he is free to take executive action because they won't pass an immigration bill.  On many fronts, if he doesn't want to do it he can argue their inactivity, and if he does, he simply issues an executive order.

Republicans, really, have boxed-in themselves.  Their idea of lethargic politics as a way to stop Obama has actually turned out to be disengaging from politics for the Republican Congress.  Look at it theoretically: that really means the Republicans have taken themselves out of the game, and that leaves the field open for Democrats to take the reigns of control completely.

You've heard me repeatedly say how conservatives don't think, they deal in epithets and adjectives.  Well...that's all they've got now!  Slogans...slurs...jargon.  So they pull up Putin and say, Look, he's doing something.

Well, so is Obama...keeping us out of making a foolish decision to get involved.  We're like those gentle ladies and men who pulled up their lawn chairs to watch the Battle of Hampton Roads. More iced tea?


How else are they going to describe the hole they have dug themselves in?