the Iraqi Army offered a cautionary tale. But if the United States could train and equip a reliable and effective moderate rebel force, it could help hold the country together during a transition, safeguard chemical weapons stockpiles, and prevent ethnic cleansing and score settling. But could it be done? The key would be thoroughly vetting the rebel fighters to ensure we first weeded out the extremists and then maintained close intelligence sharing and operational coordination with all our partners.” [Hillary Clinton, Hard Choices, 6/10/14] …AND HER WORK WITH FOREIGN LEADERS TO ENSURE AN EFFORT TO ARM MODERATE SYRIAN REBELS COULD BE COORDINATED WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS Hard Choices: In Coordinating Syria Efforts, Secretary Clinton Worked With Leaders Of Turkey, Great Britain, France, And Germany To Address Questions Such As “What Would It Take To Impose A No-Fly Zone?...Could We Better Coordinate Support For The Armed Opposition?” “Although there had been continuous consultations between us and the Turks since the [Syria] conflict started, I thought we should intensify operational planning by our militaries in order to prepare contingency plans. What would it take to impose a no-fly zone? How would we respond to the use or loss of chemical weapons? How could we better coordinate support for the armed opposition? The Turks agreed, and two days later Davutoğlu and I got on the phone to discuss our thinking with the Foreign Ministers of Great Britain, France, and Germany.” [Hillary Clinton, Hard Choices, 6/10/14] Hard Choices: Secretary Clinton Pushed “To Begin Arming And Training Moderate Syrian Rebels…[Confident] We Could Put In Place Effective Coordination With Our Regional Partners.” “Our military’s top brass, reluctant to get involved in Syria, consistently offered dire projections of the forces that would be required to overcome Assad’s advanced air defenses and conduct a Libya-style no- fly zone. But Secretary of Defense Panetta had become as frustrated as I was with the lack of options in Syria; he knew from his own time leading the CIA what our intelligence operatives could do…I returned to Washington reasonably confident that if we decided to begin arming and training moderate Syrian rebels, we could put in place effective coordination with our regional partners.” [Hillary Clinton, Hard Choices, 6/10/14] INTERNAL DISAGREEMENTS OVER U.S. SYRIA POLICY DID NOT BECOME PUBLIC UNTIL FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY LEON PANETTA AND JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN MARTIN DEMPSEY TOLD CONGRESS THEY SUPPORTED A CLINTON-BACKED PLAN TO ARM MODERATE SYRIAN REBELS New York Times: In February 2013, Then-Defense Secretary Panetta And Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff Dempsey For The First Time Acknowledged Support For A 2012 “Plan To Arm Carefully Vetted Syrian Rebels…Backed By Hillary Rodham Clinton.” “[O]n Thursday, deep divisions over what to do about one of those issues — the rising violence in Syria — spilled into public view for the first time in a blunt exchange between Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and the leaders of the Pentagon. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta acknowledged that he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, had supported a plan last year to arm carefully vetted Syrian rebels. But it was ultimately vetoed by the White House, Mr. Panetta said, although it was developed by David H. Petraeus, the C.I.A. director at the time, and backed by Hillary Rodham Clinton, then the secretary of state.” [New York Times, 2/7/13] SECRETARY CLINTON CLAIMS TO HAVE RECOMMENDED U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SYRIA ROBERT FORD, WHO PUSHED FOR A PLAN TO ARM MODERATE SYRIAN REBELS Secretary Clinton: “In Early 2010…I Recommended That The President Nominate Robert Ford…As The First U.S. Ambassador To Syria In More Than Five Years.” “In early 2010, about a year before the maelstrom began in Syria, I recommended that the President nominate Robert Ford, an experienced diplomat who had served across the Middle East, most recently in Iraq, as the first U.S. Ambassador to Syria in more than five years.” [Hillary Clinton, Hard Choices, 6/10/14]