Syria slipping from Assad's grasp, White House says #Mass #Defections

Syria slipping from Assad's grasp, White House says: The White House highlighted news reports of high-level Syrian defections and fighting drawing closer to Damascus on Tuesday as signs that President Bashar Assad is "losing his grip" on his country some 15 months into a bloody crackdown on opposition to his rule. " Recent high-level military defections to Jordan and Turkey are another testament to the regime's loss of control over the situation in Syria," spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One. "It is clear, however, that Assad is desperate to hang on to power at all cost, as evidenced by his continued use of air power and Shabiha gangs," who act as enforcers for the regime, Carney said. President Barack Obama  has expressed frustration over the weak international response to the bloodbath in Syria, where some observers estimate the death toll at 15,000. But efforts to tighten the screws on Assad's regime have foundered on opposition from China and Russia to increased sanctions....