More discussion on the Syrian question

Charles Krauthammer: Unless he’s serious, vote no

Sen. Bob Corker: “What is it you’re seeking?”

        Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “I can’t     
        answer that, what we’re seeking.”

"We have a problem. The president proposes attacking Syria, and his top military officer cannot tell you the objective. Does the commander in chief know his own objective? Why, yes. “A shot across the bow,” explained Barack Obama.
"Now, a shot across the bow is a warning. Its purpose is to say: Cease and desist, or the next shot will sink you. But Obama has already told the world — and Bashar al-Assad in particular — that there will be no next shot."....

Cantor: America has a compelling national security interest  "Frankly, two years of mixed signals from the Obama administration, misplaced focus and a routine lack of outreach to members of Congress have fueled pessimism in this mission. I share that frustration. But it’s not just the president’s credibility that is on the line; it is America’s leadership in a troubled world that is in question."
I believe Rep. Cantor is saying the same thing as Mr. Krauthammer, but in a gentler tone.

CNN Exclusive: Videos show glimpse into evidence for Syria intervention  "While the videos are hard to watch, they do not prove who is responsible for the attack, nor do they provide an answer for whether military strikes are the correct course."
Each time I have linked to an argument purporting to say we should intervene, the article backs away from giving support to that course of action. TD

What are the odds of a U.S. strike against Syria? 15 key questions answered  "There are so many moving parts to this complicated story that it can become quite difficult to keep up.
"Let this Q and A bring you up to speed on the dizzying developments."

Amazing video claims to show rebels using chemical weapons

"This may well be propaganda as it came from  European Jewish Congress

"Alternatively, the rebels have admitted as much so who really knows?

"It should be very clear to anyone who follows this site that Muslims are indiscriminate inborn killers."

Anti-War Celebrities Call Out Barack Obama! It’s Getting Nasty!  "Then there was Joe Biden’s 2007 TV interview: “The president has no constitutional authority … to take this nation to war … unless we’re attacked or unless there is proof we are about to be attacked.  And if he does, if he does, I would move to impeach him.” "

Some soldiers embarrassed to be associated with the amateurism of the Obama administration

Team of nitwits scrutinized  "New York Times reporter Mark Landler scrutinizes the photos of Obama’s war council, as he calls it, deliberating over Syria in recent."

 

So they go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.

 

Winston Churchill in 1936, on the feckless national leaders who sat idly while Hitler rearmed.

 

Victor Davis Hanson; If It Wasn't Syria, It Would Have Been Something Else

NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE  "It is very possible that the president will not obtain a join authorization to bomb Syria; if he chooses to go ahead and attack anyway, Obama will incite a constitutional crisis—the first time in history that a president has decided to go to war against the declared wishes of Congress. The public and the courts will adjudicate the legality of that act, and it would be contentious.
"So the corner that Obama has painted himself into is now inescapable."....

 

His inclination is to damn straw men, blame others for his self-inflicted errors, and spike the ball when he should keep quiet and become modest (cf. the bin Laden raid). So in Syria we heard the same old, same old: A host of bad guys, here and abroad, wants to do nothing. Obama alone has the vision and moral compass to restore global and U.S. credibility through his eloquence; but the world disappointed him and is now at fault for establishing red lines that it won’t enforce: He came into the world to save the world, but the world rejected him.

Bob Woodward: The inside story of how Obama and Boehner negotiate

WaPo  "House Speaker John Boehner has promised “a whale of a fight.” Some Democrats are warning that the GOP could sink the economy. And so begins another budget showdown. How it ends — and whether the U.S. government can avoid a shutdown and a default — may hinge on whether the two principal combatants, Boehner and President Obama, can figure out a way to work together.
"Their history shows that may not be possible. Based on interviews with key White House and congressional aides, meeting notes, and budget documents, here is a detailed, often verbatim account of the two leaders’ negotiations and conversations last time — during the dramatic “fiscal cliff” face-off of late 2012."
Bob Woodward is an associate editor of The Washington Post and the author, most recently, of “The Price of Politics.” This essay is adapted from a new afterword to the book’s paperback edition, coming out this month.

Michelle Obama's Epic Eye Roll at John Boehner

The Blind Leading the Gullible…

http://liberallogic101.com/?p=2723

Ed Asner Explains Hollywood Silence on Obama, Syria: They 'Don't Want to Feel Anti-Black'

Hollywood Reporter   "Don't look for Iraq War-style protests, says the liberal activist, who -- like "M*A*S*H" star Mike Farrell -- opposes military action."

"In 2003, ahead of a U.S. attack on Iraq, a robust anti-war movement in Hollywood included a TV commercial starring Martin Sheen and Sean Penn visiting Baghdad. There were online petitions signed by Ed Asner; letters to President George W. Bush pleading for peace were signed by Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, Barbra Streisand and Alec Baldwin; former M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell...."

"The good news for President Barack Obama as he considers a military response against Syria for using chemical weapons against rebels is that he probably won't have to deal with a similar anti-war movement from Hollywood. But that's not because there isn't opposition."....

Case in point: Obama Mega-Donor Bill Maher Blames GOP Opposition To Syria On Racism…