[ April 23, 2024 ]
Raheem Kassam, Breitbart Radio Host and Editor-in-Chief of Breitbart London, interviews me on my take on the US Syria airstrike:
Pamela Geller on Syria Strike: ‘What Is the Objective? Which Al-Qaeda Satellite Are We Partnering With?’
“I’m deeply concerned. I don’t understand it,” Geller said. “It seems like a knee-jerk reaction. It doesn’t speak to a coherent policy. It seems to me that Trump has switched sides.”
LISTEN:
Story continues below advertisement“It does seem that way,” Kassam agreed. “This is what I’ve been saying for now the last 48 hours: there seems to be a malign influence on him. He’s saying things like, hey, we can get you really good coverage. CNN will stop writing ‘Trump’ on its chyron, they’ll start writing ‘President Trump’ on its chyron. Time magazine will put you on the front, and this time it won’t be scary or a joke. We’ll make you look like a leading statesman around the world. All you have to do is compromise on every single thing you said during the campaign.”
“Yeah,” Geller said with a rueful laugh. “I mean, I’m laughing, but I’m laughing with blood. It’s not funny.”
“I don’t know when he began to care. I mean, that was the beauty of Trump. For those of us that have been in the trenches, you have to become inured to this kind of withering criticism. You have to develop a crocodile skin. He seemed to have it. He seemed to have come to the party with it. It was really sort of the most fantastic thing about him,” she said.
“On the one hand, I always console myself with, ‘It’s not Hillary.’ That’s always my mantra. It’s my religion,” she said. “But this really, I think, is a terrible mistake. Back in 2012, my organization American Freedom Defense Initiative, issued a call to President Obama and to the United Nations warning of an impending genocide in Syria. I’ve been acutely aware of what’s going on in Syria. They did nothing, and millions of Christians and religious minorities were slaughtered. I don’t understand this visceral response. And what is the objective? Who are we partnering with? What quote-unquote ‘rebel gang’ – is it al-Nusra? Which al-Qaeda satellite are we partnering with?”
She shared Kassam’s skepticism about the size of the truly “moderate” rebel force in Syria, and whether Western intelligence services could identify real moderates and work with them effectively. Kassam noted ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the other “real, real enemies” of the United States were celebrating the attack, and asked what conclusions should be drawn from it.
“It tells us that we don’t know what we’re doing there,” Geller replied. “I don’t know what we’re doing there. I understand the quote-unquote ‘humanitarian,’ but I’m always first and foremost concerned about national interest. What is the national interest of this for us?”
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“Look, Obama gave Syria to Russia. He did. He gave it to Russia, and so this could very well escalate into something truly unforeseen,” she warned. “I just think the United States should have taken action in a comprehensive, and logical, and strategic way years ago. Right now, it’s just a huge catastrophe, and what’s he doing? Is he putting a finger in the dam? I don’t think so. I don’t even think it’s that. Is it just this action?”
Geller stressed that it was President Barack Obama’s policies that led to this moment.
“He turned Syria over to Russia, and so this could escalate to World War III, and for what? For Syria? Seriously?” she said.
“My concern is that like President Bush, President Trump has two factions warring with each other. In the case of President Bush, it was Rumsfeld-Cheney-John Bolton, the hawks as it were, versus the trimmers, versus the RINOs like Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Hadley Burns,” she judged. “And the trimmers always win, because it seems like the safe bet. It seems like the quote-unquote ‘extremists’ are taking it a step too far.”
“But the fact of the matter is, it’s the trimmers that get you into trouble, because you can’t have a bold policy, you can’t go after a bold policy limp-wristed,” Geller warned.
“I’m concerned about McMaster, who is just another one who denies the motivating ideology of the terrorists,” she said of President Trump’s National Security Adviser. “He says jihad terror is not Islamic. This hampers our ability to respond to terrorism effectively. You can’t defeat an enemy that you don’t understand.”
Geller and Kassam found this a contradiction of Trump’s campaign promise to speak forthrightly about the dangers of radical Islamic terrorism.
“He promised to deal effectively with the terrorism problem and call it Islamic,” Geller recalled. “This is exactly what Obama and Hillary refused to do. McMaster represents a defeat for the Trump promise to drain the swamp. It’s a retreat from his stated goals. Believe me, it pains me to say this. It gives me no pleasure.”
“And Mattis, that ‘terrorism defames Islam’ – what book are they reading?” she added. “Are they not reading the Koran? I mean listen, just because you talk about it this way doesn’t mean that all Muslims are terrorists. But we don’t have to pat on the back every Muslim that doesn’t want to kill us.”
“Do you think Jared Kushner or Dina Powell has ever read the Koran cover-to-cover? Do they understand the enemy?” Kassam asked, referring to President Trump’s son-in-law and deputy national security adviser for strategy, respectively.
“No, I think Kushner’s a Manhattan liberal. That’s what I think,” Geller replied. “And I think that he may be a very smart kid, but that’s got nothing to do with the price of eggs in China. I think that he has undue influence. I think that’s why you’re seeing these moves with the settlements in Israel, the quote-unquote ‘two-state solution,’ inviting these Palestinian terrorists into this country…”
Kassam interjected to suggest adding Ivanka Trump’s reported meetings with Planned Parenthood to the list.
“Yes, this is Kushner. I don’t know how much we’re going to have to lose before Trump gets back on track. He’ll have to get back on track, because we’ve suffered under these failed policies, for the past really 15 years,” Geller said, quoting Albert Einstein’s famed admonition that “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result” is the definition of insanity.
Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
Listen to the full audio of the interview above.
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36 Comments
7 years ago
That’s right. There are two liberal democrats that have constant access to the president’s ear: Ivanka and Jared. As noted on Breitbart the other day, people think Jared is behind the tensions with Bannon. Having those two libs in the White House is bad news.
As for the airstrike, it was a message to Assad: Lay off the nerve gas. It also sent a message to others in Iran and North Korea that the president isn’t just talk like Obama was. So long as this doesn’t escalate, like McCain and Graham hope it does, into a wider conflict then it could be seen as a net gain in my view. In any event, nation building in the Islamic world is an exercise in futility. We should do our utmost to stay out of that cesspool.
7 years ago
Reply to
Gizmo
The headline at CNN early this morning was, “Russia, Syria Condemn U.S. Aggression”
Syria drops nerve gas on babies that Russia assured us they didn’t have and WE are the aggressors?
7 years ago
Reply to
Gizmo
Russia is also now testing Trump. A Russian warship is steaming toward the US ships right now.
7 years ago
Reply to
Gizmo
This was indeed a message, to all and sundry you may have all the supposed defensive armaments but the US just sent 50+ missiles to a single target with no resistance and even if there had been resistance no defensive system could guard against such a rain of missiles. The US has some 4000 of these missiles in stock as well as other types of missiles and it is reported they have some 6000 nuclear warheads. So fat boy in North Korea and he who wears a dress in Iran take note. It is time to sue for peace!
7 years ago
USA did vote for a successful businessman. This salesman did prove he can make a fortune with his tactics. Trump plays on power & maybe this is what his opponents understand and respect. Hair force 1 has a good chance to survive in the global powerplay in my opinion.
In the meantime we must see to it more people become aware of the threat of Islam. You find my contribution here: http://redbee.website/
Greetings from the netherlands,
Red Bee
7 years ago
Reply to
Red Bee
We, the Dutch, do not refer to Rutte as “Teflon Mark” for nothing. Rutte is a very good salesman; I think Trump & Rutte would make a very good team:)
& contrary what the msm report, Wilders did not lose. He gained 5 seats and holds second place.
7 years ago
Reply to
Red Bee
The events in Europe just before the recent election became for Ruttte his equivalent to Obama’s Hurricane Sandy moment.
Like Obama, he got lucky….this time.
7 years ago
I think she is totally correct.
We have NO business in Syria. None.
Russia is there fighting ISIS.
We have a border wall to build
7 years ago
Reply to
@MadJewessWoman
So, Assad is Hitler and not Trump anymore?
The Rebels used the chems, not Assad. The Rebels used them in 2013, go to Youtube for proof.
Fighting against Assad is aiding ISIS.
7 years ago
Reply to
@MadJewessWoman
More evidence suggests that Obama armed the Rebels and ISIS.
Facts:
Assad has Liberated his Christians countless times. Whereas, ISIS and the Rebels have murdered the Christians.
Facts show that Obama demanded that Mubarak, Gaddafi and Assad step down.
After Mubarak and Gaddafi were gone, what happened?
Are both countries better off now? No.
—
MY OPINION is this:
It was a type of stage play.
Trump had to get the main stream media off his back with the “Russian Puppet” garbage, so he attacked Assad. (But, he really didnt attack Assad), He just made it ‘look’ like he did.
NOW:
I feel that a leader will not care about the main stream news. Trump does care b/c he still has that ‘star’ in him. Personally, if it was me, I wouldnt give a rats ass.
Because he did this, he is wrong. True leaders do not care about garbage lies from the Media.
This is my OPINION only, NOT fact.
It is ISIS and the REBELS who are the murderers. Assad has been trying to SAVE his people not gas them.
7 years ago
Reply to
@MadJewessWoman
I ddont believe his ‘*message* was incorrect’.
I do not believe he should topple Assad. I believe he should kill ISIS and the Rebels.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.
7 years ago
Reply to
@MadJewessWoman
Is Trump now taking lessons from the Palis on how to go after Syria’s Assad by bombing coffee shops?
More US Strikes in Syria — This Time Hitting a Coffee Shop
7 years ago
Reply to
@MadJewessWoman
Israel has handled the ongoing McCain war in Syria now for 7 years.
Israel has fought WITH Russia in Syria, supplying intel. Israel REFUSED to enter into sanctions against Russia re. Syria and now exports fruit to Russia.
Russia’s Defense Minister., Igor Konashenkov: “We Are In Training With Our Partners, Israel.
Israel has been fighting alongside of Russia now for years. They should continue.
7 years ago
Reply to
@MadJewessWoman
Assad has Liberated his Christians countless times. Whereas, ISIS and the Rebels have murdered the Christians.
Facts show that Obama demanded that Mubarak, Gaddafi and Assad step down.
After Mubarak and Gaddafi were gone, what happened?
Are both countries better off now? No.
7 years ago
Reply to
@MadJewessWoman
We have NO business in Syria.
Obama armed the Rebels, Russia is helping Assad fight the Rebels.
Obama ARMED ISIS, Putin and Russia is helping contain ISIS.
If we are not fighting ISIS, we are aiding them.
As far as gassing people: My suggestion is you go after the Rebels and ISIS since they are the ones that have been using them
7 years ago
Reply to
@MadJewessWoman
‘What does he have to do with Israel and her security’
I live here in Arizona. I am a Jew. And, thus, I pray for the peace in the country which I dwell.
Trump needs to get out of Syria and close the borders.
7 years ago
Pamela Geller is absolutely correct.
7 years ago
How many examples of disastrous meddling do we need before the light goes on?
Iran, Irag, Libya, etc.
Keeping savage citizens in line requires savage dictators.
Remove one and even worse monsters step in to fill the void.
7 years ago
In reference to this article on the “Daily Wire” – 7 Trump Supporters that turned on him:
P.S. I rarely disagree with Pamela, but on this I do.
In short answer to her question, “What is the objective”? Read below and btw, “The objective has been met”.
Event over and done. Watch our actions, don’t listen to the rhetoric from either side.
What this eminent group of idealists believe is that Geo-politcs means that if we stay at home and hide our heads in the sand, it will all be OK…..
What they apparently haven’t got the foresight to see is:
Trump IS NOT going to war with anyone over Syria
Assad is a bit player (One foolish blogger told me today I shouldn’t be against Assad because he’s a Christian! GOOD GRIEF! No contemporary Christian would do what he’s done.)
It doesn’t matter who used chemicals, this was a strategic opportunity for Trump to reverse the slippery slope policies of Obama.
Who runs a “Syrian” Government is moot, as for now, it’s “Vlad the Impaler” Putin.
What band of Islamists that end up running the country is also moot. None of them are or will ever be our friends. They are innately “Islamists” which makes their values completely incompatible with the West.
ISIS will be a battlefield non entity within a few more months – unfortunately they will then go to the “lone/group wolf” strategy, but they do that already.
So what exactly did Trump accomplish?
He sent a STRONG message to:
Putin – re: his creeping expansionism and tacit support of the Mullahs in Iran.
China – About that “Chinese Lake” you’re making to try and control 35% of the worlds shipping commerce
(Aside: Over Creme Brûlée no less! – now that’s Chutzpah.)
Iran – Think twice before you attempt to intimidate US or Coalition War Ships in the Gulf.
NK – Hey FAT KID, get the message?
In all of the above he likely SLOWED DOWN any march to war.
He told the world that ZERO is gone and the US is back in the game. Bad Guys beware, if you push, prepare to get shoved.
We are no longer run by ZERO and his incredibly anti-American policies.
Some have suggested this upsets our cooperation with Putin. What cooperation with Putin? He is a Mafia Don who only understands POWER. If ANYONE thinks otherwise they’re naive.
The America First – Utopian Isolationist Wing of the Right needs to get a grip. These same isolationists helped precipitate WW1 and WW2 by their refusal to have any early action and to “appease the crocodile, hoping they’d be eaten last”. (Winston Churchill)
Our erudite group of Trump “supporters” needs to re-learn some lessons from our recent 20th Century history.
The Barbarians are out there. I for one would prefer to keep them as far away from the gates as possible.
“Peace Through Strength” – Ronald Reagan (and just exactly the model Donald Trump just followed).
Message sent, received and very likely – well understood. Event over.
MAGA! AND Keep the faith!
7 years ago
Reply to
Fromafar
WJ
Laura slso attacked Geller after Garland. I called Ingraham out then and she’s wrong now too.
Think back and tell me the last POTUS not involved in military action?
A quick memory search – Dwight Eisenhower?
Its tough being number 1 in a world that clearly IS NOT ready for “Global Governance” due to vastly different values systems.
Putin, Xi, Iran and the Fat Kid all run totalitarian Ststes.
See the common thread?
P.S. The Rinos just make noise, good for them. They’ve made themselves irrelevant.
Trump is unpredictable and crazy…..like a fox!
MAGA
7 years ago
Reply to
Fromafar
The debate may go on about why it was the right thing to do, but indeed it was.
7 years ago
It’s all the fault of Trumps hairpiece..Someone should set it free Wtf.
7 years ago
Trump’s appeal was an emotional one. But because he has no coherent philosophy he’s easy prey to the liberals and compromisers. He needs to sit down and crack open the Koran and get a first-hand knowledge of the enemy’s philosophy and then get rid of McMaster, Mattis, and Gorka, none of whom would ever equate Islam with evil. “It’s a religion, you know,” they’d say. “We can’t attack a religion, not even one as totalitarian as Islam. We’d alienate millions of Muslims.” News bulletin: They’ve been alienated against Western values for centuries.
7 years ago
I generally agree with Pamela’s view on subjects, but must disagree on this one. I think this raid on the Syrian airport served a number of strategic purposes. As mentioned in other comments it is a warning to our strategic enemies, North Korea, Iran, China in the South China Sea, Putin, etc. that we are no longer a country of empty words with no action to back them up. We will no longer draw meaningless red lines and fail to follow through. I think even further and more important it informs Iran and Putin that we are no longer abandoning the Mideast. I think this is the most important strategic outcome from this raid. In spite of all the fear mongering that is going on about World War III I think it may help prevent that conflict. World War III is more likely to happen if the axis of evil formed by the alliance of Iran with Russia along with Assad, Hezbollah and Hamas and other Middle East players continue their efforts to surround Israel. World War III will begin at some point when they believe they are powerful enough to act against Israel with impunity believing that the United States no longer has its back or the will to respond to coordinated aggression against Israel. The attack on Israel as a result of Iran believing it has an alliance with Russia and has its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah in position along with possibly its own forces on or near the Golan Heights will be the true cause of World War III or the next Holocaust. Let’s not forget that Russia already has bases in Syria that they continue to reinforce and build along with their radar and anti-aircraft capabilities. If these assets were put to use against Israel, even just as an early warning system for Iran, Israel’s main deterrent, it’s Air Force might be largely neutralized in any future Mideast conflict. Iran’s threats against Israel, its development of weapons and alliances in the region and its belief,which might at some point be true that Putin has its back must be taken seriously. What Trump has done is to finally after all these years inform Russia, Iran, Assad and all the other players that there will be considerable risk in overplaying their hand and that the United States will no longer stand idly by mouthing off at the UN and before the press and doing nothing. This raid is a brilliant and MEASURED strategic move, not without risk that I believe may well avoid a more catastrophic conflict in the future.
7 years ago
Reply to
George Curtis
The concern of many of us is based on a long history of sliding into conflicts on a no-win basis. Trump promised not to – but the Lets-turn-every-American-victory-into-defeat-and-any-conflict-into-a-Vietnam-style-military-disaster-for-the-victory-of-the-Demokkkrats crowd are still strong.
7 years ago
Some perspective is needed here.
All Trump did was BOMB the airbase where the TWO planes took off and landed carrying the sarin gas. Russia was also alerted about this. That is hardly the beginning of WW3!!!!!
Next Assad has gassed his people before. Obama of course did nothing. Should Trump look the other way and skip talking about an imaginary red line ? Why is it okay for Assad to gas his people?
I suspect that Trump is putting pressure on Assad to SHAPE UP. Trump wants a safe zone to dump the Muslims and refugees we keep getting at 900 a week! Yes, 900 a WEEK are coming here. We should not take in Muslims! Keep them in their own country!
Jared is a LIBERAL Jew. Ivanka is a LIBERAL convert to Judaism. Put Jared on Israel and keep him OUT of other issues. Bannon is the solid, mature, experienced one that massively helped TRUMP get elected – not Jared.
7 years ago
Not sure I trust Raheem Kassam. He is also a Muslim…
7 years ago
Trump has NOT switched sides – but he may have been misled when he believed what he was told.
Trump has not been trained to ask questions when shown pictures of dead babies by agencies that leaks AGAINST you. He doesn’t know you should ask: Are the babies really dead? Who killed them? What killed them? Is that consistent? Who took the pictures? How do you know these babies are not Kafir babies murdered by the Muslim photographers for their propaganda value? How can we trust these photographers? Who would use these weapons? Who would attack these babies? Who benefits from the attack? Are the babies human shields? Are they expendables? etc. etc. etc.
That’s the problem with hiring someone who is NOT IDEOLOGICAL. Trump has NOT spent decades eating Lietard sandwiches, dodging Lietard lies, tip toeing through Lietard minefields, and soapboxing Lietards (for millennials – soapboxing is what we did before we had an internet to combox with strangers and share pictures of cats).
Securing your property and person from “Lone Wolves.” Doing the jobs Americans “won’t do.” Training the Quota Quack who can’t do the job. Getting paid 20-60% less than the Quota Quack who won’t do the job. Showing your home to cops, social works, and Federal law enforcement. Proving you’re not guilty of being a ‘right-wing’ bitter clinger. Proving you are guilty of Crimes Against Humanity – like science, engineering, and BUILDING THAT.
Trump has not developed a finely tuned BS-meter to detect the slightest whiff of Lietard …
btw – it’s okay – I love Trump. MAGA! Better a successful businessman who can’t smell Lietard from ten miles upwind, than a Criminal Lietard steeped in the sewage. He will figure this out.
Just sayin …
7 years ago
Blah, blah, blah….blah. She’s single isn’t she. Poor guy that marries that mouth.
7 years ago
I think it sends a clear message that WMD will not be used by anyone. If they do there will be consequences, whether it is Syria, ISIS, or North Korea. Nothing can be taken from this act and used as a way to help reveal Trump’s strategy in the Middle East. That can only be done by watching what Trump does, the portfolio of his actions. He will not reveal it through words via a news conference. He is probably still developing what could be called a coherent strategy, but we will never know what it is beforehand. After it is revealed by his acts, we will probably all be very pleased with it though, both liberal and conservative, and the negative criticism will begin to lessen.
7 years ago
Reply to
John Nosser
I don’t care to be crass but if you cut out the polite and the politic – most of the world seems like they would be fine with ISIS and Assad destroying each other’s forces as long as they don’t make the news with atrocities – keep it under the radar and collectively we seem fine with them killing each other off. I’m not sure I disagree. We can’t afford to be the world’s police anymore but perhaps we can be the referee that steps in a separates the fighters to prevent the low blows.
7 years ago
I think that Trump is trying to get some support from the democratic party. Mattis acts like the male version of Hillary! Trump’s actions were too quick and were made by his emotions rather the intellect. It still is not proven that Assad did the chemical attack. With the future support Assad was going to get from the US, a chemical attack on anyone would be suicide! That’s one of many why I don’t think he did it. It was most likely a planned chemical attack from the opposition or Syrian jets targeted a strike that happened to hit a chemical weapons warehouse. I heard news reports that if a chemical weapon is blown up, that the blast neutralizes the chemical reaction. That is total BS, the explosion will lesson the lethalness of the weapon but, will not neutralize it! This was proven in the first Iraq war.
7 years ago
Definitely a knee jerk reaction, a president that allows himself that kind of reaction is dangerous !
7 years ago
I dont think Assad or the Syrian army dropped those sarin bombs. I think it was a false flag and that perhaps even some American ‘agency’ took part in it. I think Assad protects Christians. Assad had Nothing to gain by attacking his own people. It would only result in problems just when things were looking better for him. I think this was an event staged by some group that was disappointed at the success that Assad and Russia was having against ISIS. This strike by Trump helped the enemy. I voted for Trump and am glad about the selection of a conservative judge on the scotus. But I am now opposing Trump. He seems to be a traitor to the people that voted for him.
