RUSH: Reuters: “Kerry Portrait of Syria Rebels at Odds With Intelligence Reports.” This is a Reuters story, and now, no matter where you look, even in the Drive-By Media, they’re starting to say that what the regime is telling us isn’t necessarily true.

Let’s go to the audio sound bites. This is funny. This is yesterday in Washington on Capitol Hill during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the possible use of force against Syria. John Kerry, the haughty John Kerry, who served in Vietnam once, is being questioned by Mike McCaul, congressman, Texas, who said to Kerry, “My greatest concern, when we look at Syria, is who’s gonna fill the vacuum when the Assad regime falls?” Which we know that it will. Who’s gonna fill that vacuum? Are the rebel forces, the extremists gonna take over, not just the government, but are they gonna take over these weapons? ‘Cause they’re the ones most likely to use these weapons against Americans and the United States.

KERRY: I just don’t agree that a majority are Al-Qaeda and the bad guys. That’s not true. There are about 70 to a hundred thousand oppositionists, about somewhere, maybe, 15 to 25% might be in one group or another who are what we would deem to be bad guys. There is a real moderate opposition that exists. General Idris is running the military arm of that.

RUSH: Folks, I’m beside myself. That’s just not true. To say that the majority of the Syrian rebels are moderates? Do this. Go to Drudge, watch the video, if you can stomach the barbarism that these moderates in Kerry’s view are capable of and look at what Kerry calls moderate. This is a guy who compared American troops to Genghis Khan. This is a guy who said that American Marines in Iraq, in Haditha, were murdering, terrorizing women and children, and he has the gall to tell us that the Al-Qaeda rebels in Syria are moderates. Everybody ought to be outraged by this! Moderates? The majority of them are moderates, US military, Genghis Khan, rapists, murderers, terrorists? I don’t know how else to express my anger.

And right here, here’s Reuters: “Secretary of State John Kerry’s public assertions that moderate Syrian opposition groups are growing in influence appear to be at odds with estimates by US and European intelligence sources and nongovernmental experts, who say Islamic extremists remain by far the fiercest and best-organized rebel elements.” So even the esteemed European intelligence agencies — which, of course, are the best. Europe’s unassailable as far as Kerry’s concerned. He loves pretending to be one.

So even European intelligence, our own intel and nongovernmental people on the ground are countering what Kerry is saying, and Reuters is reporting it. So why does Obama continue to paint the rebels as the good guys? Why do they want to assist Islamic extremism? Shouldn’t that be its own red line? I’m telling you, folks, what is happening over there is these leaders are dictators but they provide stability for US national interests.

Obama and Kerry, these guys are trying to take ’em out and replace them with Islamic extremists.

This is just… Well, it’s absurd and it’s appalling, to call these people moderates. McCaul had a great question (summarized): “Okay, suppose we support these guys. There are chemical weapons there. Why do we want Al-Qaeda to have ’em, Senator Kerry?” (Kerry impression) “Well, I would disagree with your calculation. I don’t think that’s what’s gonna happen.” These people, folks, are irresponsible. Now, this next bite is good. This is Jeff Duncan (R-SC) having a conversation with Kerry, who explodes when Duncan brings up Benghazi.

DUNCAN: Is the power of the executive branch so intoxicating that you would abandon past caution in favor of pulling the trigger on a military response so quickly? The reason that I say Benghazi is germane to our discussions on Syria is this: Secretary Kerry, have there been any efforts on the part of the United States — directly or indirectly — to provide weapons to the Syrian rebels, and that would also include facilitating the transfer of weapons from Libyan rebels to the Syrian rebels?

KERRY: Let me begin, Congressman, by challenging your proposition that I’ve never done anything except advocate caution, because I volunteered to fight for my country, and that wasn’t a cautious thing to do when I did it.

DUNCAN: Mr. Secretary, with all due respect —

KERRY: When I was in the Senate —

DUNCAN: — my time is limited. Yes or no.

KERRY: I’m gonna finish, Congressman! I am going to finish!

RUSH: And then he continued…

KERRY: I am not gonna sit here and be told by you that I don’t have a sense of what the judgment is with respect to this. We’re talking about people being killed by gas, and you want to go talk about Benghazi and Fast and Furious.

DUNCAN: I absolutely want to talk about Benghazi!

KERRY: Well, uh —

DUNCAN: Four Americans lost their lives! I have sympathy for the people in Syria, and I do think there should be a worldwide response, but we should act cautiously —

KERRY: Yeah, well —

DUNCAN: — before we act unilaterally.

KERRY: — Congressman, we are acting cautiously. We are acting so cautiously that the president of the United States was accused of not acting because he wanted to have sufficient evidence, and he wanted to build the case properly.

RUSH: This is interesting, to say the least, because he got the question straight up. “Wait a minute! What was Benghazi?” ‘Cause we have all heard that part of what was going on there was weapons-running to the Syrian rebels, and the regime hasn’t wanted to go there. It was good to get these questions out there and to get Kerry’s reaction to these questions. (impression) “Weeeell, I served in Vietnaaaaaaam! You can’t say I’m cautious!

“I served Vietnaaaaaaam when it wasn’t a cautious thing to do, and I got out of Vietnaaaaaaam when it wasn’t a cautious thing to do, and I got out of Vietnaaaaaaam when it was actually very propitious for me to get out of Vietnaaaaaaam and I got out of there. You can’t say this thing to me. I’m John Kerry. I served Vietnaaaaaaam! I’m secretary of state! I’m gonna sit here listen to this Fast and Furious. You’re a fruitcake nut ball. I’m not gonna sit here and listen to you.”

But he had to because he’s secretary of state.

Anyway, it’s embarrassing.

The New York Times has another story: “Obama Faces Barrier in His Own Party on Syria.”

This is not good, folks.