President Barack Obama has decided to supply arms to Syrian rebels. That is not a smart move on his part and it is too bad the esteemed politicians in the U.S. government didn’t move much of a finger in opposition to it. It is my belief that the decision to arm the rebels is going to backfire.

It is ludicrous to provide arms to the rebel group, not only because it is an added expense the U.S. does not need now, but because those so-called “freedom fighters” reportedly are not adequately trained to use them. The next step will be sending U.S. troops to Syria to teach them the intricacies of those weapons. I am sure that those U.S. troops will end up doing most of the fighting.

Despite Obama’s commitment to send them arms, the Syrian rebels and Sen. John McCain continue to whine about wanting anti-aircraft weapons, no-fly zones and troops from the U.S.

The conflict there is not this country’s war and, if push comes to shove, Sen. McCain should put his boots on and be the first to step on the ground of Syria.

Carolyn Libbey, Lewiston