On June 20, 2014 Senator Ted Cruz asked to address the United States Senate regarding the situation in Iraq and unanswered questions over whether the United States provided lethal weapons to ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria).
What he said was rather disturbing when you carefully consider his statement in light of President’s choice in this situation to arm radical Islamic rebels in Syria, affiliated with al-Qaeda to fight against the Assad regime:
“An obvious question the administration should answer is, has the Obama administration ever armed ISIS? Has the administration given lethal weapons to ISIS? We are doing so to rebels who are fighting alongside ISIS in Syria.
It is an obvious question to ask, whether we have, in fact, armed these radical Islamic terrorists as well.
ISIS is much more than a local or even regional threat. They are among the worst of the radical jihadists who attacked us on September 1, 2001, and again on September 11, 2012. They are so bad, in fact, that the “core Al Qaeda,” as President Obama likes to call the terrorist cells in Pakistan and Afghanistan, have renounced them. Their goal is to establish a new Islamic caliphate in the Middle East and northern Africa, from Syria to Iraq. They have publicly announced that when they achieve their ambition in Syria and Iraq, their goal is to move on to Jordan, to Israel, and to the United States of America.
Because of their actions and their stated intent, it would seem a targeted mission to seriously degrade the lethality of ISIS could well be in the national security interests of the United States. Such an action would not require the commitment of American combat forces, but it would require a commitment from the Commander in Chief that this action would not be merely a symbolic message or an effort simply to perpetuate the al-Maliki government in Baghdad.
Instead, it would need to be an expeditious and emphatic demonstration of America’s ability to strike at the terrorists at the time and means of our choosing. If the President needs to respond to an imminent threat to the national security interests of the United States, or to act to an imminent threat to the lives of Americans in Iraq, he has the constitutional authority to do so. However, Congress has the constitutional authority to declare war. So if the President is planning on launching a concerted offensive attack that is not constrained by the exigency of the circumstances, he should come to Congress to seek and to receive authorization for the use of military force. A precondition for any such mission in Iraq should be the utter rejection of any partnership with the Islamic Republic of Iran on which the al-Maliki government is increasingly dependent”, said Senator Cruz (Source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov).
See related videos and postings:
See video: US was responsible for training ISIS in Jordan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuo7-U7mOo
See related reports: Is President Obama freaking insane? https://groundreport.com/is-president-obama-freaking-insane/
See video: US backed ISIS closing in on Baghdad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpMffGExu40