Posted on 09/06/2013 1:26:27 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced his opposition yesterday to military strikes on Syria, at least as the situation stands now. Instead, he pressed Obama to play out the string on diplomacy with a 45-day ultimatum to Bashar Assad to sign the chemical-weapons ban and presumably either give up or destroy his stockpiles. New York Times reporter David Sanger told Morning Joe that Obama may end up trying that tactic (via The Corner):
The Obama administration might consider a plan involving an ultimatum to Syrian president Bashar Assad as a diplomatic alternative to U.S. military action, according to New York Times chief Washington correspondent David Sanger. Assad would be presented with a 45-day window to sign a chemical-weapons ban in order to avoid a missile strikes.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you see the president end up having to go some kind of version of that route,” Sanger said on Morning Joe today. “The idea was to basically put a diplomatic action and a test ahead of Assad before the U.S., and before the president, had an authorization for a strike.”
Host Joe Scarborough added that the 45-day window would also allow the U.S. “to actually come up with” an effective military plan if it was ultimately necessary.
Manchin and fellow Senate Democrat Heidi Heitkamp have already floated a resolution in the Senate to this effect, which complicates matters significantly for Obama. Even if the Senate never takes up Manchin-Heitkamp, its very existence reminds both the Senate and the House of the rush to military action taken in this instance — and of the utter lack of action from Obama between his “red line” statement last year to the August 21st chemical-weapons attack now. It raises three questions, each more embarrassing than the next to the White House:
If Obama wanted to force Russia and China to act, this was the play he should have made last year instead of boasting about “red lines.” Neither Russia nor China could have defended Assad’s nose-thumbing of this pact, and Obama might have had the upper hand internationally as a result.
Now, however, this is just another reminder of Obama’s lack of strategic and tactical thinking, both in diplomacy and military matters. If Obama issues this ultimatum now, it won’t be seen as strength but as a further retreat. Russia and China might play along anyway just to buy more time, but Obama can’t demand support on Tuesday for military action and then put the assault on hold for another 45 days and expect to hold even the thin support he has at the moment. It would be a disaster — but the fact that he hasn’t even bothered to play this card is an almost equal political disaster, too.
Stop!
Or I’ll yell ‘stop’, again!
Yeah! Draw a 45 day red line in the sand Barry! That’s bound to work! If not, then you can blame Congress for demanding it....you tefloned professional victimized POS.......
So what happens when 10,000 Russian troops move into Syria in the meantime?
Okay boys, pack everything up! We’re moving them back to Iraq!
Kill your people the old fashioned way. If he signs and destroys his WMD maybe we can send him some weapons we approve of.
barry’s idea: they they destroy their chemicals, we will destroy our nuclear weapons.
don’t laugh. he told putin he’d have more ‘flexibility’ after the election.
45 days for what? Obama is perfectly OK with totalitarianism if it comes with a commiserate level of marxism/socialism. Maybe Assad could just institute a “War Zone Lunch Program” and be done with it? Or...a one hour seise fire each day for the dispersal of low fat food, condoms and birth control?
Ilike what Dennis Miller said the other day: “We’re the only country in the world that sends out “Save The Date” attack cards.”
Hell, why not? He already dared him and double-down dared him. Why not triple-down dare him and look even more a fool - if that’s even possible any more. I guess the Dims think that another dare would be like saying they didn’t really flinch now - they flinched 45 days from now. In the meantime they can pray for something bad to happen to Assad so they can claim credit (while shunning responsibility for the end results).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.