US backs down from Syria

Obama's Provocative Syria Retreat   "In the eyes of the only people who really  matter - Bashir Assad, Vlad Putin, Ayatolla Khameni, Kim Jong Un, and assorted lesser examples of ruthless heads of state, not to mention terror groups - Barrack Obama has retreated from his redline. He has blinked and they think they have his number." 

Via Drudge;
Syria crisis: Obama turns decision on military action over to Congress  "Mr Obama made clear that he had the authority to order a strike in response to the Assad regime using chemical weapons against civilians, and stands ready to do so at any time. But announcing a delay that stunned many, he pledged: “I will seek authorization(sp) for the use of force from the American people’s representatives in Congress. We should have this debate because the issues are too big for business as usual.' ”

In Syria, Anger and Mockery as Obama Delays Plan  “Dictatorships like Iran and North Korea are watching closely to see how the free world responds to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people,” the opposition coalition said in a statement issued in Istanbul.

"Still, some rebel leaders were angry. A member of Syria’s opposition National Coalition, Samir Nachar, called Mr. Obama a “weak president who cannot make the right decision when it comes to such an urgent crisis.' ”

 

 Analysis: Putin sees chance to turn tables on Obama at G20  "The U.S. president's dilemma over a military response to an alleged poison gas attack in Syria means Obama is the one who is under more pressure going into a G20 summit in St Petersburg on Thursday and Friday."

 The mask is off: They hated Bush, not war

Ultimately, the study suggests, the anti-war rallies of 2003 weren't just about Iraq -- they were also a way to register disapproval with the Bush administration. Now, even with most Americans wary of military intervention in Syria, the Democrats who marched a decade ago are mostly staying home."

Analysis: Obama's credibility on line in reversal  "For more than a week, the White House had been barreling toward imminent military action against Syria. But President Barack Obama’s abrupt decision to instead ask Congress for permission left him with a high-risk gamble that could devastate his credibility if no action is ultimately taken in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack that crossed his own ‘‘red line.' ’’

Alan Caruba; The Incredible Shrinking President

Warning Signs

...."This is a President who could not put together a coalition of nations to support his proposed action. His predecessor (“It’s all Bush’s fault”) had some forty nations on board for his attack on Iraq. Obama could not get a United Nations’ resolution. His predecessor had some sixteen UN resolutions. He has been told that Congress would have to authorize covering the cost of the action and of replacing the missiles because his administration has cut the Defense Department budget to the bone."

Regulating our way to Mediocrity

Robert Schapiro   "I have baked bread at home my whole life.

"Because I love baking and eating, my bread is very good. So it was no surprise an entrepreneur opening a year round trendy indoor market in New York asked me to take a stall and sell my bread to the public once a week.

"Why not? I thought. It seemed like the adult version of a kid's lemonade stand.
But that was before the realities of making anything edible for sale came crashing down on my head.

Modern government regulations
Once upon a time, on a farm in Arkansas . . .
. . . there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she
uncovered quite a few grains of wheat. She called all of her neighbors together
and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me
plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow. "Not I," said the duck. Not I," said the pig. "Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen. And so she did; The
wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my
wheat?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Out of my classification," said the pig.
"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.
"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did. At
last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked
the little red hen.
"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.
"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.
"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.
"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.
She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They
wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No,
I shall eat all five loaves."
"Excess profits!" cried the cow.
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck.
"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted in disdain.
And they all painted "Unfair!" picket signs and marched around and around the
little red hen, shouting obscenities. When the government agent came, he said to
the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.
"Exactly," said the agent. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so
wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our
modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of
their labor with those who are lazy and idle."

And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who
smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand." But her
neighbors became quite disappointed in her, for she never again baked any more bread.