Former Bush administration official: Israel may be behind use of chemical arms in Syria

Former Bush administration official: Israel may be behind use of chemical arms in Syria --Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, says Israel may have conducted 'false flag' operation. 04 May 2013 Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who once served as Secretary of State Colin Powell's Chief of Staff, believes that the chemical weapons used in Syria may have been an Israeli "false flag" operation aimed at implicating Bashar Assad's government. Wilkerson said that the evidence that it was Assad's government that had used the chemical weapons was "flaky" and that it could very well have been the 'rebels' or Israel who were the perpetrators. Asked why Israel would do such a thing, Wilkerson said: "I think we've got a basically geostrategically, geopolitical inept regime in Tel Aviv right now."

Bernie Sanders

Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):

Obama Asks Congress to Back Strike on Syria: In an about face, President Obama announced on Saturday at the White House that he would seek approval from Congress to attack Syria. That stopped the clock for at least a week on what had loomed as an imminent attack. Sen. Bernie Sanders called the apparent use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime “inhumane and a violation of international law,” but added, “I need to hear more from the president as to why he believes it is in the best interests of the United States to intervene in Syria’s bloody and complicated civil war,” the Burlington Free Press, Valley News, WCAX-TV and WPTZ-TV reported.

Senate: Harry Reid said Saturday he’d try to bring the Senate back early for a vote, meaning it will say yes first and add to the drama in the House, according to The Daily Beast. Obama might lose a very small number of Senate Democrats and maybe independent Sand...ers, but he should get several Senate Republicans who aren’t up for reelection this year and in hiding from the tea party, the article asserted.

Mandela Discharged from Hospital: South Africa’s president says Nelson Mandela has been discharged from the hospital in the capital, Pretoria. President Jacob Zuma said in a statement Sunday that former President Mandela remains in critical condition and was sent to his Johannesburg home early Sunday, where he would continue to get intensive care.

Media Consolidation: In a deal that could heighten the competition in radio against Clear Channel Communications, long the industry’s dominant player, Cumulus Media has agreed to buy Dial Global, a syndicator of sports, talk and music programming to thousands of stations, for $260 million, The New York Times reported.

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