French jets bomb IS oil sites in Syria

Burning Bush: "Bungled disaster" is putting it mildly.

When all is done, the cost of fixing the place will be enormous.

I find it amazing how destructive human beings are.

I thought Russia was supposed to take care of ISIS in a matter of days? What happened?

Payback for 11/13. Keep those bombers up!

"I thought Russia was supposed to take care of ISIS in a matter of days?"

The Russians are busy targeting outdoor markets crowded with shoppers during daytime hours. Notice how the French launched the strike at 2 a.m.

SuperLib: I though Russia was supposed to take care of ISIS in a matter of days? What happened?

Please show us even just one comment by Russia, claiming they will take care of ISIS in days. Where do you come up with this stuff?

SuperLib:

" I thought Russia was supposed to take care of ISIS in a matter of days? "

I have been reading this forum for a while, but I don´t remember anybody making that claim. Can you remind us where you read that?

@JefLee"Notice how the French launched the strike at 2 a.m."

So what? Russians have been doing day and night raids since the last September. But when a couple of French bombers did the same, western press declared it a biggest event ever.

@Zaphod"Can you remind us where you read that?"

In their desperate hateful rants and countless attempts to demonize Russia, some westerners write pure nonsense. SuperLib is just one of them.

Why so late ??

"Why so late ??"

Hey, the Chinese haven't joined the fight against ISIS yet. Give them time, lol.

I thought Russia was supposed to take care of ISIS in a matter of days? What happened?

It'll be any day now.

some westerners write pure nonsense.

Like claiming Assad was legally elected? That kind of pure nonsense?

You were there right, you know the truth.

Do you have any kind of rebuttal of substance? You tell me. Is running unopposed being "elected"? Is that a man of legitimacy ? A simple "yes" or "no" will suffice, thanks.

In fact, you know more about who should be the leader of Syria than Syrian people do.

An asinine response.

Russians are the ones who supported and continue to support an unelected despot. Do YOU know more about who should be the leader of Syria? You guys are all "okay" for a pseudo-uprising of "freedom fighters" in Eastern Ukraine against the "repressive" regime in Kiev but a Syrian that opposes your client thug regime is a terrorist. Sorry, but doesn't even pass the laugh test.

Oh, please... there's just no way you can turn Bashar into a democratically elected legitimate head of state. It's just silly.

It's a fact that like his father, Hafez, before him, Bashar ran in unopposed in single candidate referenda. True, yes or no?

In 2014, because well it's a little unseemly to keep getting reelected running against yourself, the first supposedly "multi-candidate" election (farce) with 2 other token candidates (not 24, because surprise, surprise the others applicants didn't meet the criteria) who won, what? 3% -4% each in areas controlled by the Bashar... and Bashar got 88%.. while not quite the 99% of the vote he used to get that's still Saddam Hussein baloney type numbers.

I know Russians don't have much experience with democracy but still by now they ought to have gotten the gist. Of course if you read RT...

@gcbel"It's just silly".

Some western liberals are unable to locate Syria on geographical map but they do like to chat who is dictator and who is not. They have no idea about social or political situation in certain parts of the globe but dare to give advices to locals what to do. It's just silly.

"I know Russians don't have much experience with democracy".

Next time try to read historical information about Republic of Novgorod instead of forming a line to buy a new IPhone. LOL.

gcbel:

" Oh, please... there's just no way you can turn Bashar into a democratically elected legitimate head of state. It's just silly. "

Oh please.... you show us ANY government in the region with a "democratically elected legitimate head of state" except for Israel, and I eat my keyboard. Do you seriously think that the the "vetted rebels" aka ISIS, who are genociding the non-Sunnis in Syria now would procede to form a secular democracy if you let them take over???

What we should look at is the record of the regime in question. And as far as the Assad regime is concerned, it is vastly preferrable to the alternative, and it is certainly vastly more humane than then the Saddam regime in Iraq... the removal of which the "liberals" as a group opposed.

How anyone can support the overthrow of the Assad government but oppose the otherthrow of the Saddam regime and keep a straight face is beyond me.

Some western liberals are unable to locate Syria on geographical map but they do like to chat who is dictator and who is not. They have no idea about social or political situation in certain parts of the globe but dare to give advices to locals what to do.

Cute nonsense.

Next time try to read historical information about Republic of Novgorod instead of forming a line to buy a new IPhone.

Republic of Novgorod... a Russian's modern experience of democracy LOL! Oh, Yamashi, thank you so much for illustrating my point.

@WilliB I don't think you really grasped the points. But thanks for jumping in.

Oh please.... you show us ANY government in the region with a "democratically elected legitimate head of state" except for Israel, and I eat my keyboard.

I certainly never made that claim and Syria's Baathist regime certainly ain't one. Our Russian friends are the ones making the claim. So, you agree they're full of crap... thanks. By the way, is Iraq's head of state democratically elected and legitimate? Iran's (by Russian standards)?

Do you seriously think that the the "vetted rebels" aka ISIS, who are genociding the non-Sunnis in Syria now would procede to form a secular democracy if you let them take over???

Disagree with the premise of your question and wasn't an argument I was necessarily making. I suggest you re-read my posts more carefully. In any case, you're conflating all opposition to the Assad regime with ISIS, which is factually incorrect. I suspect you know that.

And as far as the Assad regime is concerned, it is vastly preferrable to the alternative, and it is certainly vastly more humane

You're making assumptions about the alternative - Assad or ISIS; so a bit of a strawman argument. It's certainly true that that's the argument Assad is trying to make and that many have bought hook, line and sinker (because it's just easy). I think there is (or was, earlier on) a path to a solution. The Russians, in pursuit of their own selfish interests, have made it quite difficult, or nigh on, impossible to reach one.

As for humane... oh, please. Indiscriminate bombing of civilian populated urban areas (okay if you're Assad, not okay if you're Kiev regime),

How anyone can support the overthrow of the Assad government but oppose the otherthrow of the Saddam regime and keep a straight face is beyond me.

I have no doubt about that. How anyone who supported the US invasion of Iraq debacle can think they still have anything to contribute to any foreign policy discussion is beyond me but, here we are. In any case, I never opposed the overthrow of Saddam's Baathist regime (I did oppose supporting it), just not by us, in the way it was done. I thought it would prove to be disastrous. And I guess I was proven right. I was in favor of stronger support for the Kurds when during the 91 uprisings.

You see, Willi, things are usually more complicated than FOX news soundbites.