Al-Qaeda Learns How To Lobby Congress? UPDATED

Just put together an American 501(c)(3), nonprofit corporation, call it the Syrian Emergency Task Force, and get busy swaying the opinions of seat holders in the House and Senate, writing op-ed pieces in the big papers, etc. One of my senators, Bob Corker (R-TN) was totally hoodwinked by them.

But they made a mistake in hiring a person who lied about having a doctorate. Oops.

 Politico explains how this revelation occurred.

The Syria researcher whose Wall Street Journal op-piece was cited by Secretary of State John Kerry and Sen. John McCain during congressional hearings about the use of force has been fired from the Institute for the Study of War for lying about having a Ph.D., the group announced on Wednesday.

“The Institute for the Study of War has learned and confirmed that, contrary to her representations, Ms. Elizabeth O’Bagy does not in fact have a Ph.D. degree from Georgetown University,” the institute said in a statement. “ISW has accordingly terminated Ms. O’Bagy’s employment, effective immediately.”

O’Bagy’s Aug. 30 op-ed piece for the Journal, “On the Front Lines of Syria’s Civil War,” was cited by both Kerry and McCain last week. McCain read from the piece last Tuesday to Kerry, calling it “an important op-ed by Dr. Elizabeth O’Bagy.” The next day, Kerry also brought up the piece before a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing and described it as a “very interesting article” and recommended that members read it.

But the piece had also come under fire for misrepresenting her affiliations. Originally the op-ed only listed O’Bagy, 26, as only “a senior analyst” at the ISW, later adding a clarification that disclosed her connection to a Syrian rebel advocacy group.

“In addition to her role at the Institute for the Study of War, Ms. O’Bagy is affiliated with the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a nonprofit operating as a 501(c)(3) pending IRS approval that subcontracts with the U.S. and British governments to provide aid to the Syrian opposition,” the WSJ added in its clarification.

Read the rest.

Elisabeth O’Bagy was all over the airwaves, too. And Senator Corker’s “vetted, moderate, opposition” is looking like a fiction cooked up by a Syrian “rebel advocacy group” who lobbied our lawmakers on Capitol Hill.  Funded by al-Qaeda, you think?

You just never know what a universal day of fasting and prayer can do.

Which reminds me to point President Obama, and all of those who sided with him in Congress on the proposed misadventure in Syria, to recall the three main reasons why most Americans are 100% against intervening in Syria:

This,

this,

and this.

Because launching strikes in Syria would help al-Qaeda, and al-Qaeda was responsible for what took place on September 11, 2001.

Keep up with the citizens lobby, and the prayers for peace that Pope Francis set in motion on September 7, 2013. We the people have never forgotten what happened 12 years ago. Pray Congress never forgets either, though the enemy may be attempting to peddle its influence in the halls of power on Capitol Hill.

UPDATE:

Washington Post,

The Senate is formally dropping consideration of a resolution authorizing U.S. military force in Syria and deferring instead to diplomatic attempts to end the crisis.

“We’ve agreed on a way forward based on the president’s speech last night,” Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) announced on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon.

Read more.