Syrian Air Strikes ‘A Watershed Moment’ In Terrorism Struggle: Sen. Levin

[unhappycamper]

http://breakingdefense.com/2014/09/syrian-air-strikes-a-watershed-moment-in-terrorism-struggle-sen-levin/



Syrian Air Strikes ‘A Watershed Moment’ In Terrorism Struggle: Sen. Levin
By Colin Clark on September 24, 2014 at 4:21 PM

WASHINGTON: The allied air strikes against ISIL that brought together the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Jordan “are a watershed moment” in the fight to solve terrorism, “the major security issue of our time,” one of the most rational defense lawmakers in Congress said today.

Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the strikes offered the chance for Muslim and Arab countries to publicly prove to the terrorists, to the rest of the world and to their own citizens that they will not countenance terrorism in the name of Islam. “From mosque to mosque, from schoolroom to schoolroom there’s got be a shift, a very strong shift against terrorist acts in the name of Islam,” Levin told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast.

Levin’s comments were particularly interesting in light of President Obama’s speech today before the United Nations General Assembly in which Obama said that the Islamic State understood only “the language of force” and that the U.S. would “work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network of death.”

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My favorite moment from Levin’s last appearance before the DWG came at the end, when he looked up and down the ranks of the gathered reporters and told us that he really hoped the American people would learn that we have accomplished a great deal of good in Afghanistan.

..

Yes, we did accomplish a great deal of good in Afghanistan.

13 non-stop years of war.

Over $1,000,000,000,000 spent on this adventure.

2,347 dead Americans.

Obama wants to stay in Afghanistan.