Syria

[nate]

I am pretty sure that this whole thing was a setup from Obama to begin with.  He was so adamant with his "I am going to ask congress" line because he thought that Republicans would reject his proposal to strike Syria.  Then he and the Democratic party could use it against them while also skating on the military action.  In the end it really backfired on him because both parties were against it and mostly Obama looked like a fool... again.

 

Between GW and now Obama we are observing two very poor Presidents.

[Thomas]

This sure smells like backstage diplomacy. I'm not sure US and Russia were ever that much at odds. Certainly not as much as it was made out to be.

 

I think the US secretly wanted the current regime to stay since the alternative is even less pleasant. But that wouldn't jive with our image of defending democracy, puppy dogs and the like. We've promised the rebels material support but surprise we haven't delivered any as of yet. Obama makes a pledge that the US won't interfere directly assuming the ruling regime isn't so monumentally stupid that they use chemical weapons.The regime stays in power, we get assurances that it won't escalate to powder keg state.

 

Syria then uses chemical weapons.

US: "#$#@"!

Russia: "#$#@"!

 

The last thing the US administration wants to do is to invade. Absolutely a no win situation.  But they can't just pretend they didn't say they would invade if this happened. They would look incredibly weak.

 

Russia is pissed at Syria but can't say anything publicly as they would weaken the regime so they just deny everything. Even if they look absurd doing so. But the last thing they want is the region to turn into even more of a powder keg.  They certainly don't want the US to make everything worse with military action and have them lose influence in the region.

 

So the two sides have a common problem and seek a common solution. So they bust out Good Cop Bad Cop with US being the rogue cop with no respect for the rules.

 

So Obama states we're going to war, screw diplomacy. We're going to war and there is nothing that can stop us. Just...not yet.  These actions are both completely out of character for the president and contrary to common sense. You don't let this fester and grow more unpopular by the day if you have any serious intention of attacking Syria. You get it over with like ripping a band-aid off.

 

Russia on the other hand publicly states that the attack couldn't have been the regime. That would be silly talk. While privately they are pressuring the #$@$ out of the regime to hand over the chemical weapons.  When they get assurances that they will, they and China step up to defend Syria.

 

So now the US isn't backing down from Syria which would be incredibly weak. They are backing down from Russia and China which isn't weak, it's common sense. And they get to save face since they are taking away Syria's chemical weapons at the same time.Win win. Everyone is happy and gets to live another day.

 

If something like this happened I would commend the President of the handling of this mess. I mean most of it ends up being a no brainier but allowing this to take a hit on his legacy can't be easy. But considering the cost of messing this up I suppose it makes it easier to sleep at night.

[HaloMagic]

LOL @ Obama's legacy.

[Mudville]

That was hell of a piece of fiction, Thomas.

[Thomas]

Even hindsight on diplomacy is never 20/20 but what can you do when the actors in this game are acting so odd and clearly nothing is what it seems. Only consistent is that everyone is lying through their teeth while moving their pieces behind their curtain.

[FireThemAll]

I am pretty sure that this whole thing was a setup from Obama to begin with.  He was so adamant with his "I am going to ask congress" line because he thought that Republicans would reject his proposal to strike Syria.  Then he and the Democratic party could use it against them while also skating on the military action.  In the end it really backfired on him because both parties were against it and mostly Obama looked like a fool... again.

 

Between GW and now Obama we are observing two very poor Presidents.

 

Obama is not as good of a leader as George Bush though, that's the real difference between the two. Bush made tough decisions in one of the toughest times in American history. Bush had a way harder term than Obama has, and it's not even close. Obama has let spending get even more out of control after almost a decade long war...let's face it, Bush didn't have much of a choice, Obama does.

[HaloMagic]

LOL @ defending W's spending.

[TobiasFunke]

I still can't believe people don't think Bush was one of if not the worst president in US history

[Adam]

It is hard to imagine a worse duo than Bush and Obama going back to back. At least Bush owned it though. Obama is a big pussy

[Catwhoshatinthehat]

Bush was a horrible president and yet Obama has found a way to underperform even him.

[HaloMagic]

It is hard to imagine a worse duo than Bush and Obama going back to back. At least Bush owned it though. Obama is a big pussy

Just wait for the duo of Obama and whatever douchebag follows him. It's practically impossible to imagine it could somehow get worse. So it probably will.

[Thomas]

Just wait for the duo of Obama and whatever douchebag follows him. It's practically impossible to imagine it could somehow get worse. So it probably will.

 

Trump 2016!!!!

[Tank]

It is hard to imagine a worse duo than Bush and Obama going back to back. At least Bush owned it though. Obama is a big pussy

 

sixteen years of these two . . . sixteen very long years.

[Jay]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/russia-syria-resolution-use-of-force_n_3940204.html

 

Russia Opposes Use Of Force In Syria Resolution

[HaloFan85]

Just judging by how the last year of his presidency has gone, I'm doubting Obama finds a way to work this into his favor. He may well claim that there are more weapons than Assad turns over, though. Which is exactly what I suspect is going to happen in a week or two.

I'm sure of that too because if he doesn't, the attention will start turning to Israel and their suspected stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and you know Israel will never admit to having those.

 

It's been 20 years and Israel still hasn't ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention, nor have they ever confirmed or denied any claims regarding these allegations.  They'll do anything it takes to remain the super power of the middle east.

[Spirit]

It is hard to imagine a worse duo than Bush and Obama going back to back. At least Bush owned it though. Obama is a big pussy

 

 

Jeff Mathis & Brandon Wood?

[nate]

Benji Gil and Steve Finley

[Jason]

The media trying to help Obama save face. Lol

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/asia/0,9263,501130916,00.html

[jshep]

Jeff Mathis & Brandon Wood?

 

Joe Blanton and Tommy Hanson.

[Lhalo]

The media trying to help Obama save face. Lol

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/asia/0,9263,501130916,00.html

We have reached ludicrous speed.

[HaloMagic]

For what it's worth, that cover is BS anyway. The US is waffling, sure. But we're hardly weak. News organizations only publish things that their audiences are interested in hearing. This isn't an American phenomenon. It's a worldwide thing. The world loves to hear abouts America struggling so the media abroad will make that the big story. Americans don't want to read that so we get a different cover.

Edited September 19, 2013 by HaloMagic

[Lhalo]

So I guess we armed the Syrian rebels after all?

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28347456

[TobiasFunke]

I wish I could be as stoked about my job as this guy

 

[Blarg]

His job is killing people.

[TobiasFunke]

If you love what you do then it's not work.

Isn't that how the old saying goes?