AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Rebels including al-Qaida-linked fighters gained control of a Christian village northeast of the capital Damascus, Syrian activists said Sunday. Government media provided a dramatically different account of the battle suggesting regime forces were winning.

It was impossible to independently verify the reports from Maaloula, a scenic mountain community known for being one of the few places in the world where residents still speak the ancient Middle Eastern language of Aramaic. The village is on a UNESCO list of tentative world heritage sites.
The rebel advance into the area this week was spearheaded by Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front, exacerbating fears among Syrians and religious minorities about the role played by Islamic extremists within the rebel ranks. (more…)

*Updated Congressional Vote Counts*   You can see how your congressional  House and Senate representatives are planning to vote:
Via ABC News Congressional Whip Polling:
OPPOSE MILITARY ACTION IN SYRIA: 75
LIKELY TO OPPOSE: 150                                        Total Oppose 225
SUPPORT MILITARY ACTION IN SYRIA: 19
LIKELY TO SUPPORT: 25                                       Total Support 44
UNDECIDED: 140
UNKNOWN: 23                                                          Total Undecided 163 (link)
The Huffington Post/Think Progress Polling: (more…)

Or as John McCain would say “Allahu Akbar” !!

In return Pope Francis rebukes President Obama !!

With all my strength, I ask each party in the conflict not to close themselves in solely on their own interests. #prayforpeace

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) September 5, 2013

No longer willing to be a codependent enabler to stupid leadership decisions espoused on my behalf, and despite the structure around the pretext that failing to support them makes me unpatriotic, I’m furious with our President on this Syrian fiasco.
This is not a zero sum game, and I do not accept the presentation as such.   I also hold a principle that history holds value.
A failure to support President Obama’s personal opinion is not equivalent to supporting Assad or Iran.   The missing context is the application of freedom principles and history.  It is not unpatriotic to support freedom – It WAS unpatriotic of President Obama to draw a “red line” in our national sand without seeking permission of forethought. (more…)

(more…)

Keep a close eye on U.S. Media as to “how” they report on President Obama’s isolation.
(Via AFP)  World leaders arrived Thursday for a dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin where they would discuss the crisis in Syria, with US President Barack Obama showing up alone and well after the main group.

The main group of leaders led by Putin arrived together at the historic Peterhof palace outside Saint Petersburg, with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande seen talking animatedly at the back of the pack.
But Obama was nowhere to be seen and only arrived at the palace a good half an hour after the rest. (more…)

The vote from the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to put Obama’s Syrian resolution before the full Senate is essentially meaningless.    The subsequent vote amid the full Senate to support such a resolution is more politically valuable, but not terribly much.
The vote that counts, to authorize President Obama to use our military and attack Syria, will only come from the House of Representatives – The ‘People’s House’.

With that in mind a couple of recent tracking polls, ABC and Think Progress, are in alignment: (more…)

I TOO have a dream – that one day we will live in a nation where the CBC will not judge policy based on the color of their skin but by the outcome of its consequence….  
….. And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.  Only then will black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics — be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at  last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

WASHINGTON DC – As an increasing number of African-American lawmakers voice dissent over the Obama administration’s war plans in Syria, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has asked members to “limit public comment” on the issue until they are briefed by senior administration officials. (more…)

We are proud to participate in a first for new age communication.   Due to recent events in Syria, and an abundance of concern for public input into the decision of whether or attack Bashar Al Assad’s government, the White House is allowing us, for the first time ever, to see the decision making process “as – it – happens”.
President Obama and Denis McDonough are proud to present the official public unveiling of the interactive Syrian Intel:

The Official White House Decision maker – CLICK HERE

You can ask any question, nothing is out of bounds, and the answers are exactly the same as those formulated by the White House to guide our nation through these troubling times.
This is an incredible breakthrough, and will go down in history as absolute confirmation of a transparency promise delivered.
Congratulations Mr. President, well done.

Via Shadi Hamid, is the Director of Research at the Brookings Institute’s Doha Center:

Newspaper also claims that son of MB leader threatened Obama w- release of "papers" revealing his MB membership: https://t.co/x4lV2JdS91

— Shadi Hamid (@shadihamid) September 1, 2013

If you missed it, "liberal" Egyptian newspaper has front page headline claiming Obama as full-on member of Muslim Brotherhood international.

— Shadi Hamid (@shadihamid) September 1, 2013

In related news – the Eyptian interim government is reconsidering going back to the ban on the Muslim Brotherhood due to their entrenched terrorism.    It should not be forgotten the Brotherhood killed former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat which was the final straw the last time they were an allowed political entity.