Well, well, well … isn’t this interesting:
https://twitter.com/EvanMcSan/status/517041531383844864
From Yahoo! News:
The White House has acknowledged for the first timethat strict standards President Obama imposed last year to prevent civilian deaths from U.S. drone strikes will not apply to U.S. military operations in Syria and Iraq.
A White House statement to Yahoo News confirming the looser policy came in response to questions about reports that as many as a dozen civilians, including women and young children, were killed when a Tomahawk missile struck the village of Kafr Daryan in Syria’s Idlib province on the morning of Sept. 23.
…
“They seem to be creating this grey zone” for the conflict, said Harold Koh, who served as the State Department’s top lawyer during President Obama’s first term. “If we’re not applying the strict rules [to prevent civilian casualties] to Syria and Iraq, then they are of relatively limited value.”
Now, we can of course play the “What If This Had Happened Under Bush” game:
If Bush did this… @EvanMcSan: "White House exempts Syria airstrikes from tight standards on civilian deaths” http://t.co/pbIX2iLKQj
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 30, 2014
Did Cheney ever do this? MT @EvanMcSan: "WH exempts Syria airstrikes from tight standards on civilian deaths” http://t.co/pHyzS8075M
— Brian Faughnan (@BrianFaughnan) September 30, 2014
You can trust the White House on Syrian civilian casualties. This has been this hour's edition of What If Bush Did It?
— Kim Jong-unthony Bialy (@AnthonyBialy) September 30, 2014
But there’s another major double standard worth highlighting here:
Shot: https://t.co/KC1nJyz5a7
Chaser: https://t.co/k80GFoIZb4— BT (@back_ttys) September 30, 2014
July 2014:
. @rhodes44: “We do believe that Israel can do more to avoid the types of civilian casualties that we’ve seen”
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) July 22, 2014
September 2014:
White House exempts Syria airstrikes from tight standards on civilian deaths http://t.co/WjFUCiIcvu via @YahooNews
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) September 30, 2014
What a difference a few months makes, huh?
HOLD UP. So the White House is waiving standards for civilian casualties a mere few months after lecturing Israel about it?
— RBe (@RBPundit) September 30, 2014
Recommended
I'm so old I remember the them lecturing Israel about living up to high standards for avoiding civilian casualties. http://t.co/eKfx9aIRvU
— RBe (@RBPundit) September 30, 2014
I, unlike #UniteBlue, understand that civilian casualties are unavoidable. But I'm not the Obama admin who lectured Israel about it.
— RBe (@RBPundit) September 30, 2014
I don't blame the Obama admin for civilian casualties. That's the reality of war. I blame them for pretending it wasn't during Israel's war.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) September 30, 2014
https://twitter.com/zhanover/status/517046067238801409
@redsteeze He had the nerve to lecture Netanyahu on Palestinian civilian casualties, then does this?
— Brent Guthrie (@GuthrieBrent) September 30, 2014
I mean we got hourly updates about how many civilians Israel killed (based on BS counts from Hamas), but now it's ok in Syria.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) September 30, 2014
Of course it’s OK. It’s always OK when the Obama administration does it.
The complete reversal on civilian death standards by Obama fits his governing standard perfectly: Do as I say, not as I do. #Leadership
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 30, 2014
You guys. I think the Obama administration might actually be full of shit. Like, with everything.
— RBe (@RBPundit) September 30, 2014
Yep, that sounds about right.
Meanwhile:
@GaltsGirl @WhiteHouse This is where Obama needs to apologize to Netanyahu.
— TCUnderground (@TCUDispatches) September 30, 2014
Did you find ice in Hell? RT @TCUWriters: @GaltsGirl @WhiteHouse This is where Obama needs to apologize to Netanyahu.
— Michelle Ray (@GaltsGirl) September 30, 2014
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