[mikefive]

I wonder if, now that obama has said he is gonna attack, Assad will launch a preemptive strike.

[Errant]

I wouldn't think so. At least not against another country. He'll have his hands full keeping the Rebels at bay, and time is own his side as pressure builds against the US attacking.

The unknown is Israel's need to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons. That's also a common goal for Saudi Arabia and the US; hence Obama make take action even without Congress agreeing.

I look for another "incident" to occur in the near future which gives Obama even more reason to attack Syria.

[Yosemitest]

I'd be more concerned about Putin and what his Russian submarines will do, in support of Syria, and Vladimir Putin's desire for the recently found oil fields in and around Syria.
Putin's not about to let that oil field and his only semi warm water port in Sevastopol, fall into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood.

To say the least, Russia has real national security interest in that area, and that news oil field goes well south of Turkey and into Syria.

Then there's Putin’s Pipeline To Syria:

According to the deal, Syria would purchase 20 million cubic meters of Iranian gas a day with Iraq acting as a transit agent.

In August 2011, Syrian exploration companies discovered a huge new gas field in Homs near its border with Lebanon and just east of the Russian-leased Naval port of Tartus on the Mediterranean situated above the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Syria ultimately plans to extend the planned pipeline from Damascus to its Mediterranean port of Tartus where it would be delivered to energy-thirsty EU markets.

Any export of Syrian-purchased Iranian gas to the EU would thus be transited through the Russian-docked port of Tartus.

Vladimir Putin is keeping the enterprise under wraps knowing that he stands to be a big winner in this new geopolitical equation.

For with Russia acting as shipper and liaison with its established European energy market via its energy giants, Gazprom and Rosneft, Russia’s role as the EU’s leading natural gas and oil supplier would be enhanced by the Syrian pipeline.

The rewards for Putin—considered by many to be a “geopolitical genius”—are manifold, both for Russia’s purse and its political leverage with regard to the EU.

As for Turkey, its saber-rattling goes no further than making a lot of noise. Grounding a Syrian-bound plane with Russians aboard and carrying essential aid for Syria was typical stupidity by Turkish authorities.

For with Turkey dependent on 58% of its natural gas from Russia’s Gazprom, it was forced to admit that Russian cargo bound for Syria was “legal” and have since muted their saber-rattling for now.

All said and done, Jewish-led America has made al-Qaeda their ally in hopes of toppling Assad and removing Putin from the region.

So wake up, and, ...

with all those other countries affected by the oil that flows through this area,

... see WORLD WAR III coming!

[silverleaf]

Assad needs a top notch PR firm

Obama’s beating on his tiny war drum has actually managed to make both Assad a figure of reluctant sympathy to anyone opposed to al Qaeda, and Putin look good by comparison to western and US leaders

if Obama wanted to spank Assad he needed to do it by mustering diplomacy against him while quietly sending SF into Syria to take out CW weapon stocks - if the Jordanians and Turks wouldn’t use their intelligence and SF to help the US do that, then they are part of the problem

but that is too slow and messy for his style

besides the polls are down

the man-boy needs a photo op as “Cinc” sitting in the situation room wearing his nice faux military jacket (the one with the name tag “Barack Obama President”)- watching a fireworks show around Damascus - timed for for the evening news