Leading Are Hard…..

*Check out the look on Chuck Hagle’s face in the picture above* – (Politico) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to fellow House Democrats appealing for their support for military action in Syria in response to alleged chemical weapons use.
“At this critical juncture, it is essential that we make all Americans — the men and women we represent — fully aware of what the intelligence clearly and unequivocally demonstrates: that the Assad regime was responsible for chemical weapons attacks against innocent Syrians, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,400 people, including hundreds of children,” Pelosi wrote to Democrats. […]
“It is in our national interest to respond to the Syrian government’s unspeakable use of chemical weapons. Indeed, it has been, and remains, a core pillar of our national security — under Democratic and Republican administrations — to prevent, limit, and halt the spread and use of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons,” Pelosi wrote. “This is a matter of national, regional, and global security.” (read more)

In Other Related News……. The British intelligence community has assessed that al Qaeda and other jihadists in Syria have become “the most worrying emerging terrorist threat to the UK and the West.”
This assessment was revealed in the annual report of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, which was released in July. The committee, chaired by Sir Malcolm Rifkind, has oversight over all British intelligence agencies as well as Britain’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC). The report covered the committee’s work and conclusions from July 2012 through June 2013.
“The Agencies and JTAC assess that Al-Qaeda elements and individual jihadists in Syria currently represent the most worrying emerging terrorist threat to the UK and the West,” said the report in a section titled, “The Agencies’ Assessment of the Threat.”
“There is a risk of extremist elements in Syria taking advantage of the permissive environment to develop external attack plans, including against Western targets,” the report continued.
“Large numbers of radicalized individuals have been attracted to the country, including significant numbers from the UK and Europe,” the report said. “They are likely to acquire expertise and experience which could significantly increase the threat posed when they return home. Furthermore, there is growing concern about the risks around extremist groups in Syria gaining access to regime stocks of chemical weapons.”  (continue reading)