[DanMiller]

This is principally a re-post of a Stratfor article about the Syrian clusterdunk that President Obama has graciously given us and the rest of the world, with my own observations about the situation.

[Da Coyote]

So the Obamadork gets to do the famous Boehner BendOver...eh?

[Pollster1]

I hope Russia will step between us and Syria with sufficient force to keep the communist in our White House from doing more damage. I don’t want our troops to die fighting the Russians, but I don’t consider that a serious risk when the pansy in DC faces down a real man in the Kremlin. A far bigger risk is if we go into Syria. I don’t want our soldiers to die just so Obama can put Islamic extremists in power in one more country.

[jeffc]

Those fighting Assad believe (rationally) that the US will intervene on their behalf if Assad uses WMD (chemical weapons). So what's to stop them from manufacturing a "crisis" by using WMD on their own people and then blaming Assad? What do we care what happens in Syria? For me, I just want to make sure the next regime is not as hostile to Israel as the current one, nothing more.

We are so screwed with King Zero and his merry band of court jesters pretending to know anything about foreign policy. It's like someone who's good at checkers thinking he can take on a chess Grand Master.

[kabar]

Hard to understand all this hand-wringing about the reaction of Syria, Russia, and Iran to a military response by the US, France, and the UK and supported by the Arab League.

The short answer will be no response if the military actions are limited to a few days and selected targets. The impact on Assad will be minimal and Obama can claim the moral high ground.

The real question is whether the military intervention is meant to be just symbolic or be a game changer in terms of the outcome of the war. If a no-fly zone is enforced, then the stakes are raised. Even then, Syria would be very reluctant to respond against the US and its allies fearing an even more devastating retaliation.

Israel wiped out Syria's nuclear facility in 2007. No response from Russia, Iran, or Syria. Anyone who attaches much credence to threats by Syria and Iran doesn't know the the region. The "Mother of All Battles" will not follow a military attack by the US.

[PuzzledInTX]

President Obama now has little choice

Choice? I believe it was intended.

[tumblindice]

He thinks he’s sending a message to Egypt, acting all hard.
The Egyptians have figured him out, however, like Pootie.

[mom.mom]

Obama makes his macho red line statement and some group in Syria challenges him, resulting in massive innocent death. It would seem that the use of WMD was either to test Obama or to draw the US into the fight. Why else use them now?

Regardless, once again we have a remarkably ignorant foreign policy that likely resulted in the death of innocent people and when pursued further will mean American deaths.

[Starboard]

Red lines should not be drawn without anticipating their likely consequences
*********
Being a liberal means never having to acknowledge consequences, or being accountable for anything.