Did Syrian Rebels Sell Steven Sotloff to ISIS?

You can read the speculation here. 

The White House denies that there is any evidence to suggest this was done.  How did ISIS get their hands on Sotloff to make a show of his beheading?

Speaking for the family of the murdered journalist, Barak Barfi said that sources "on the ground" indicate that Sotloff was sold for $25,000 to $50, 000.  The spokesman says it is believed that "... Sotloff had been lured to a fake checkpoint after he crossed the border into Syria where ISIS captured him."

So why would the Obama regime bother to deny this assertion?  Remember Obama's "red line"?  That was to support the very Syrian rebels who may have been involved in Sotloff's capture and murder.

Assad, Mubarak, Gaddafi -- no one suggests that these are or were good guys.  We had already seen the havoc in Iraq caused by taking out Hussein -- though that did motivate Gaddafi to surrender his chemical and biological weapons.  Strongman rule bothers us as Americans, but it is preferable to a militant Islamic regime like Iran, the ongoing mess in Libya, and a monster like ISIS.

We have really put ourselves and our allies, especially Israel, into a difficult position.  This is not all Obama's fault, though his tendency to enthusiastically support terrorist organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood, the very Libyan rebels who murdered our ambassador, and the ISIS-affiliates in Syria have made matters worse.  Bush failed us by refusing to name the real enemy and unite us by formally declaring war.  He gave us the Patriot Act, Homeland Security, and the TSA, stealing the liberties of all rather than profiling and focusing on those who carry out these heinous deeds.  Our State Department is run by entrenched old-hippie bureaucrats -- as is the CIA.  But the main culprit turns out to be the Pentagon and the military command structure with officers more interested in promotions, politics, shiny toys and budget increases than in winning wars. The last fighting general we had -- with the possible exception of Schwarzkopf, was MacArthur who -- despite what revisionist historians say -- was fired by the idiot Truman for doing his job.  His job being to win wars not prolong or lose them or play twiddly-winks with the UN.