Syria is a Lose-Lose Proposal

There are no good options with Syria.  The President foolishly painted himself into a corner with his red line talk and now his credibility is on the line.  If he attacks Syria, the US will be aiding the rebels who include large chunks of al-Qaeda-allied forces.  If he doesn't attack, US foreign policy will be hamstrung; the US will have demonstrated that it is all bark and no bite.

 

Theodore Roosevelt's most famous quote - "Speak softly and carry a big stick" - is apparently unknown by this administration.  There has been much talk - very often loud and emphatic - but no stick.  How many times has the administration demanded that Iran 'live up to its international obligations' with absolutely no effect?  There is no penalty for not living up to the obligations.  Back to TR, many accused him of being a warmonger but, oddly enough, the US didn't have any wars during his tenure.  In fact, he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his part in resolving the Russo-Japanese War of 1905.  The credible threat of force kept would-be aggressors quiescent.  There is no credible threat of force.  That isn't to say the administration is unwilling to use force (witness Libya or the surge in Afghanistan) but that it is hard to divine what might trigger that use of force.  By nature, people will probe to find out what they can get away with.  Assad is probing how serious Obama is, just as Iran has been pushing to see how he responds.  The results aren't good.  Word out of the administration is that any attacks on the Assad Regime will be punitive in nature and limited in time and scope.  Kind of like an international wrist slap.  That is unserious and it tells our opponents that we are unserious.

 

I am not in favor of a strike on Syria, any more than I was in favor of a strike on Libya.  Bad foreign policy has led us to this cul-de-sac and there is no good way out.  Keep this in mind when Hillary Clinton, who steered us down this dead end road as Secretary of State, runs for President in 2016.  Our foreign policy is a shambles and she deserves a good share of the blame.