The law of unintended consequences is hard at work, all tracing back to Vietnam – and more recently – Iraq (and before then WWI’s Paris Peace Conference dividing up the Ottoman Empire preceded by “organized religion”). We are tired of conflicts – 10 years worth – which were sold to us as an easy change – remember Dick Cheney’s “they will greet us with rose petals” and Bush’s aircraft carrier celebration? So much for easy wins at no cost. Oh yes, the “treasure” spent in those efforts instead of fixing our own economy. Fast forward past Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, the “Arab Spring” (now “Winter”), Israel and the Palestinian territories, now Syria. Voila’: We recognize these things are a little more complicated than slogans, predators, and tomahawk missiles. They involve culture and religion, sometimes linked irretrievably. And all the predators, missiles, and even boots on the ground cannot change this reality. Now throw in the President’s reluctance – “dithering?”- over what to do and the “red line” comments and look at what happened. It is bad and awful, and Assad has the leverage. He has flipped us off and we are struggling with how to proceed. Do you start a military action you are not prepared to finish – “shot across the bow” – because someone flipped you off?. Your – no US credibility – is called into question but our ally Britain says it was lied to about WMD in Iraq and “not going there again.” And instead of taking unilateral action the President has been forced – effectively – by Britain to do the same thing: Ask for a Congressional blessing. This not only weakens the Presidency – “War Powers Act” but stretches out the “water torture” for another 30 or more days. And in the middle of other business that Congress has proven wholly incapable of dealing with: the debt, the CR, etc. And we now expect it to deal with Syria? If the Country was not already torn apart domestically it is now to be torn apart internationally. Some will want to go in big , some small, some not at all, and some not just to embarrass the President and double dare him to act without Congressional authorization….which he suggests he might. And if we act and Hezbollah tees off on Israel? Or Assad gasses some more people because the President signals this is a “one-off” situation?
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 02:28:44 +0000
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