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| US Facing Test on Data to Back Action on Syria - New York Times Posted: 29 Aug 2013 07:37 AM PDT By MARK MAZZETTI and MARK LANDLERPublished: August 28, 2013WASHINGTON — The evidence of a massacre is undeniable: the bodies of the dead lined up on hospital floors, those of the living convulsing and writhing in pain and a declaration from a respected international aid group that thousands of Syrians were gassed with chemical weapons last week. And yet the White House faces steep hurdles as it prepares to make the most important public intelligence presentation since February 2003, when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell made a dramatic and detailed case for war to the United Nations Security Council using intelligence — later discredited — about Iraq's weapons programs. More than a decade later, the Obama administration says the information it will make public, most likely on Thursday, will show proof of a large-scale chemical attack perpetrated by Syrian forces, bolstering its case for a retaliatory military strike on Syria. But with the botched intelligence about Iraq still casting a long shadow over decisions about waging war in the Middle East, the White House faces an American public deeply skeptical about being drawn into the Syrian conflict and a growing chorus of lawmakers from both parties angry about the prospect of an American president once again going to war without Congressional consultation or approval. American officials said Wednesday there was no "smoking gun" that directly links President Bashar al-Assad to the attack, and they tried to lower expectations about the public intelligence presentation. They said it will not contain specific electronic intercepts of communications between Syrian commanders or detailed reporting from spies and sources on the ground. But even without hard evidence tying Mr. Assad to the attack, administration officials asserted, the Syrian leader bears ultimate responsibility for the actions of his troops and should be held accountable. "The commander in chief of any military is ultimately responsible for decisions made under their leadership," said the State Department's deputy spokeswoman, Marie Harf — even if, she added, "He's not the one who pushes the button or says 'go' on this." Administration officials said that communications between military commanders intercepted after Wednesday's attack provided proof that the assault was not the result of a rogue unit acting against orders. It is unclear how much detail about these communications, if any, will be made public. In an interview on Wednesday with the PBS program "NewsHour," President Obama said he still had not made a decision about military action. But he said that a military strike could be a "shot across the bow, saying 'stop doing this,' that can have a positive impact on our national security over the long term." The bellicose talk coming from the administration is unnerving some lawmakers from Mr. Obama's party, who are angry that the White House seems to have no inclination to seek Congress's approval before launching a strike in Syria. "I am still waiting to see what specifically the administration and other involved partners have to say about a potential military strike, but I am concerned about how effective such an action could be," said Representative Adam Smith, a Washington Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. "I am worried that such action could drag the United States into a broader direct involvement in the conflict." Despite the Obama administration's insistence that the graphic images of the attack go far in making a case for military action in Syria, some experts said that the White House had its own burden of proof. Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said that whatever evidence the administration put forward would be the American intelligence community's "most important single document in a decade." The Obama administration, Mr. Cordesman said, needs to use intelligence about the attack "as a key way of informing the world, of building up trust in U.S. policy and intelligence statements, and in moving U.S. strategic communications from spin to convincing truth." And yet it appears that the public presentation of the Syria evidence will be limited. Instead of the theater of Mr. Powell's 2003 speech — which included satellite photographs, scratchy recordings of conversations between Iraqi officials and a vial of white powder meant to symbolize anthrax — American officials said the intelligence assessment they are preparing to make public will be similar to a modest news release that the White House issued in June to announce that the Assad government had used chemical weapons "on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year." Based on that conclusion, Mr. Obama authorized a limited program of supplying the Syrian rebels with arms, which have yet to arrive. 
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: August 29, 2013 An earlier version of this article misidentified the House committee on which Representative Adam Smith is the ranking Democrat. It is the Armed Services Committee, not the Foreign Affairs Committee. |
| Montana judge: Criticizing teen rape victim was 'stupid and wrong' - New York Daily News Posted: 29 Aug 2013 08:04 AM PDT A Montana judge has apologized for claiming a 14-year-old girl was "as much in control of the situation" as a former teacher who admits raping her. Yellowstone County District Judge G. Todd Baugh also said Monday teen Cherice Moralez was "older than her chronological age" while sentencing ex-teacher Stacey Rambold to serve just 30 days of a 15-year prison sentence. Moralez killed herself in 2010 with the case still pending, and her mother claimed the abuse by Rambold was a "major factor" in her daughter's suicide, the Billings Gazette reported. The mother, Auliea Hanlon, stormed out of Monday's sentencing, shouting "You people suck!" Baugh has reconsidered his comments, although not the sentence. He wrote an 81-word letter to the Billings paper apologizing for his statements. "In the Rambold sentencing, I made references to the victim's age and control," Baugh wrote. "I'm not sure just what I was attempting to say, but it did not come out correct. "What I said is demeaning of all women, not what I believe and irrelevant to the sentencing. My apologies to all my fellow citizens." He promised to write an addendum to the court file to better explain the sentence. Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito, whose deputy prosecuted the case, said he would review the sentence, but prosecutors would need to identify a legal or factual issue in order to launch an appeal. RELATED: TEACHER GETS 30-DAY SENTENCE FOR SEX WITH TEEN; GIRL LATER KILLED HERSELF Hanlon told the Gazette she "looked on in disbelief" at the sentencing. "I guess somehow it makes a rape more acceptable if you blame the victim, even if she was only 14," the mother said . Baugh was also criticized in July after he allowed a 55-year-old Billings woman to strike a deal for a 3-year suspended sentence, avoiding the possibility she would be convicted of drunken driving for the 13th time, CNN reported. The state's commissioner of higher education blasted Baugh, claiming he told the woman, "If you drink and drive and kill someone, you will spend some real time in prison." The criticism in that case was minor compared to the wide-ranging backlash unleashed on the judge as his comments in the Rambold hearing went viral. Protesters, who have called for Baugh's resignation, vowed to go forward with a demonstration planned for Thursday outside the courthouse. "I'm glad he apologized, but he should have known better as a judge," organizer Sheena Rice said. "The fact that he said it makes me think he still believes it." An online petition calling for Baugh's resignation had 26,350 signatures as of 8 a.m. Thursday. If Baugh doesn't resign, Rice said, protesters will organize to vote him out in 2014. Baugh told the Gazette the outrage was "perfectly understandable" and what he said was "stupid and wrong." However, he defended the sentence, comparing Monday's hearing to sentencing a probation violator. RELATED: 'HORNDOG HIGH' TEACHER WHO BEDDED 16-YEAR-OLD WALKS OUT OF COURT FREE WOMAN The long and winding case began in 2008 when prosecutors charged Rambold with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent after learning of his relationship with Moralez. The case was was still pending in 2010 when Moralez committed suicide. That was a turning point. Rather than push the criminal case without Moralez, prosecutor's cut a deal with Rambold: They'd hold off on charges if he completed a three-year treatment program for sex offenders. He also admitted to raping the girl, the Gazette reported. The deal fell apart in 2012 after prosecutors learned Rambold failed to hold up his end of the bargain. He'd been kicked out of the treatment program for a series of violations. Program administrators said Rambold missed meetings, had unsupervised visits with minors and began having sex with a woman without telling them. As a result, prosecutors refiled the charges in December and sought a sentence of 20 years with 10 years suspended. Baugh thought that was overly harsh. He instead sentenced the ex-teacher to 15 years and suspended all but 31 days. The judge knocked off another day for time served, leaving Rambold with just 30 days to spend behind bars. Now, 54, Rambold will be on probation and supervised by the state for the remainder of the 15 years when he's released , the Gazette reported. He will be required to register as a sex offender. Rambold's attorney said his client has already entered another treatment program. A civil lawsuit Hanlon filed against the school district revealed that school officials in 2004 ordered Rambold not to touch or spend time alone with female students. The district settled the case for $91,000. With News Wire Services |
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A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position behind sandbags in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, on Tuesday, August 27. Syria has warned Western leaders against taking any military action after international outrage over the country's suspected use of chemical weapons. Tensions in Syria began to flare in March 2011 and have escalated into an ongoing civil war. Click through to view the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict. 