Damascus Dennis
Either the Syrian Arab News Agency is grossly misquoting Dennis Kucinich, or he's a shill for an anti-American fascist regime. (Well, it could be both, I guess.)
DAMASCUS, (SANA)- U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich called on international media not to engage in exaggerating the events in Syria and jumping to conclusions without talking to people and listening to what they want.
"There are some who want to give a wrong picture about what is going on in Syria," Kucinich said in a press conference held on Tuesday at the Four Seasons Hotel, adding that things should be left to the Syrian people, government and leadership to decide for themselves the direction and the way to go for democratic changes.
The U.S. Congressman described what is taking place in terms of the meetings of opposition and independent figures who are expressing themselves and their views openly and freely as "a largely positive progress", saying "President Bashar al-Assad cares so much about what is taking place in Syria, which is evident in his effort towards a new Syria and everybody who meets him can be certain of this."
"President al-Assad is highly loved and appreciated by the Syrians," said Kucinich, voicing his belief that people in Syria are seeking a real change which is up to them.
[...]
Answering a question on the American stance towards what is going on in Syria, Kucinich said that the U.S. government is worried about the violent acts taking place and that it is interested to know that an opposition has developed and is being greatly supported and working in a peaceful way to reach change.
"I met people from the government and the opposition. In case both sides come to common points at a later time, the international community should take knowledge of this because things are developing in Syria," said the U.S. Congressman.
He stressed that "if Syria could allow more freedoms and achieve more democratic reforms through working together with the opposition, this will give an important lesson to the world," expressing hope the situation in Syria will be stable again and the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people will be met.
(Flashback: in March, Kucinich warned viewers of the Russian propaganda channel, RT America, of "fascism creeping into our country.")
Update: Kucinich says his remarks were "mistranslated," but check this out:
Kucinich pushed back against the report later on Tuesday while in Beirut, calling the remarks "mistranslated.”
“Arab-speaking friends accompanying me have explained that the problem may have come from a mistranslation as well as the degree of appreciation and affection their state-sponsored media has for President Assad,” Kucinich said in a statement released to The Hill. “Given the stakes for Syria and the region, I will consider the article only an error, not a willful intent to mischaracterize my statements or my efforts in the region.” [emphasis added]
Well, it's not like SANA is Fox News or something.
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Jul '10
Re: Damascus Dennis
Oddly enough, I find myself agreeing with Dennis Kucinich.
Butt out, let the Syrians resolve their own issues.
Jun '10
Re: Damascus Dennis
Has a more ridiculous little gnome ever served in Congress? The man is the standard bearer for the moonbat wing of the Democratic party.
May '10
Re: Damascus Dennis
Kenneth: Oddly enough, I find myself agreeing with Dennis Kucinich.
Butt out, let the Syrians resolve their own issues. · Jun 28 at 7:05pm
"President al-Assad is highly loved and appreciated by the Syrians" is not butting out. It's siding with the bad guys. World opinion matters in these things. And it matters what representatives of the most powerful nation on earth say, and the posture they take (see the Cold War, Reagan's Berlin speech, etc.).
We needn't go to war, but we needn't be morally obtuse either. Call a tyrant a tyrant and withdraw our ambassador, at the very least. Anything less is disgusting and embarrassing.
Kucinich here is both clownish and evil -- a quintessential useful idiot.
May '10
Re: Damascus Dennis
Well, he's not too wrong about the fascism part.
Nov '10
Re: Damascus Dennis
Does anyone on here watch RT? I see AmConmag.com and antiwar.com contributors on there periodically. My roommate's brother actually goes on there and is a bright guy. I just don't know what to make of some of his arguments about US foreign policy. If anyone would like to watch this video, I'd welcome a critique, where you agree and disagree. They talk about Kucinich around 4:15.
May '10
Re: Damascus Dennis
Kenneth: Oddly enough, I find myself agreeing with Dennis Kucinich.
Butt out, let the Syrians resolve their own issues. · Jun 28 at 7:05pm
Can't see President Ronald Reagan applying such a philosophy to the Solidarity movement in Poland in the 1980s, nor I doubt, would Pres. Reagan have noted how loved General Jaruzelski was by the Polish people. The denouncing of violent oppression of peaceful protest was frequently highlighted by Pope John Paul II, and not considered an internal matter for the Polish government.
You don't have to land troops on a dictators soil to oppose his evil, but you don't provide false descriptions of a dictator's approval either.
Edited on Jun 29, 2011 at 7:21amNov '10
Re: Damascus Dennis
Kucinich is a "shill for an anti-American fascist regime," only it's not Syria.
Oops, there I go being all conservative and everything again.
Jul '10
Re: Damascus Dennis
Kucinich isn't entirely wrong here. We tend to look at Syria as though Assad is some rogue, solo Godzilla, trampling over a hapless populace.
Truth is, there are two sizable contending factions and for us to automatically declare Assad's followers as monsters beyond the civilized pale is to make an arrogant assumption that we know who and what are right and wrong in somebody else's country.