Charles Krauthammer "Take at face value Obama’s claim of authorship. Then why isn’t he taking ownership? Why isn’t he calling it the “U.S. proposal” and defining it? Why not issue a U.S. plan containing the precise demands, detailed timeline and threat of action should these conditions fail to be met?"
....
"On Thursday, Assad repeated that demand, warning that without an American pledge not to attack and not to arm the rebels, his government would agree to nothing.
"This would abolish the very possibility of America tilting the order of battle in a Syrian war that Assad is now winning thanks to Russian arms, Iranian advisers and Lebanese Hezbollah shock troops. Putin thus assures the survival of his Syrian client and the continued ascendancy of the anti-Western Iranian bloc.
"And what does America get? Obama saves face."
Don't complain about Vladimir Putin's gloating. Our craven behaviour has left him in charge "Because while Barack Obama's handling of the Syrian crisis has been startlingly inept, the fact is that Congress, by making clear it would not support him and cutting the President's legs off when he asked for backing, has created a world in which Vladimir Putin gets to run the show."
....
"On Thursday, Assad repeated that demand, warning that without an American pledge not to attack and not to arm the rebels, his government would agree to nothing.
"This would abolish the very possibility of America tilting the order of battle in a Syrian war that Assad is now winning thanks to Russian arms, Iranian advisers and Lebanese Hezbollah shock troops. Putin thus assures the survival of his Syrian client and the continued ascendancy of the anti-Western Iranian bloc.
"And what does America get? Obama saves face."
Don't complain about Vladimir Putin's gloating. Our craven behaviour has left him in charge "Because while Barack Obama's handling of the Syrian crisis has been startlingly inept, the fact is that Congress, by making clear it would not support him and cutting the President's legs off when he asked for backing, has created a world in which Vladimir Putin gets to run the show."