re: #32 Dark_Falcon

He made a mistake. Not some big “Outrageous Outrage!!1” mistake like the wingnuts scream about, but he said on several occasions that the US would not tolerate the Assad Regime using chemical weapons on its own people. He called it a “red line” and last week Assad’s younger brother marched clear across it. That has left Barack Obama in “put up or shut up” territory. If he doesn’t strike at Syria, then his talk of red lines will have been revealed as baloney.

Barack Obama is a smart man but he’s trapped himself on this one. Doesn’t mean he can’t get out, since the game’s not over yet, but he put himself in a bad position.

LOL, you’re high.

Unlike Libya there’s no UN resolution and the vast majority of NATO is staying home, so if he went in he’d have no international orgs playing interference and France as his only wingman.

This way he’s giving every critic in Congress exactly what they’ve been asking for, a chance to vote on the use of force. He’s positioned himself brilliantly, no matter what happens his administration can argue that they tried to do something about the use of gas against civilians. Congress can’t vote for or against a resolution without massive GOP support and thus ownership over the consequences. The Senate can’t vote unless the GOP agrees not to filibuster and Boehner won’t bring it up in the House without majority GOP support.

In the end, no matter what happens Obama will have insulated his administration from charges that he stood by and did nothing, and the consequent comparisons to Neville Chamberlain.