Obama readies for Syrian strikes in shadow of Iraq War.

[another_liberal]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by uppityperson (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Al Jazeera America

The scenarios at first sound hauntingly familiar: an American president preparing to attack a Middle Eastern country without a United Nations Security Council resolution, without broad international backing and, this time, not even with congressional support. It's not the position that President Barack Obama ever hoped to find himself in during a presidency he said would be focused on nation-building at home. But mounting evidence that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons – a violation of international law – against his own people appears to have changed the administration's calculus.

Obama has waffled on intervention for months, even after saying a year ago, in August 2012, that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would constitute crossing a "red line" that would force Washington's hand. White House officials now say the U.S. is ready to pursue limited military strikes in Syria, even with a reluctant Congress at home, and a rebuke from the British Parliament Thursday, rejecting a call for military involvement.

In the Obama administration's maneuvers, some see echoes of the way in which President George W. Bush unilaterally, without a U.N. resolution and despite international critics, marched into war in Iraq in 2003 – a war that ended up costing hundreds of American lives [sic], thousands of Iraqi casualties and nearly $1 trillion. The White House has understandably pushed back against those comparisons, as officials have tried to build support among allies abroad and Congress.

(snip)

Read more: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/8/30/obama-presses-forsyrianinterventioninshadowofiraqwar.html

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Tell me this is not happening, that it's just a dream. Tell me that I will wake up and feel relieved it was all a nightmare born of an undigested buffalo wing.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. Well

Mr. President just called Assad and tell him call this whole thing off. You of all people can do it.

[another_liberal]

2. Our President needs to find the courage . . .

This is not the time for President Obama to feel compelled to fulfill his promises. If he was able to shoulder the embarrassment of failing to make good on several of his initial campaign promises to us (like closing Gitmo and bringing transparency to government) surely he can spare us another Middle Eastern war by accepting that he needs to retract his threat to attack Syria. Our President needs to find the courage to keep us out of a conflict we cannot settle or even hope to contain.

Is Barack Obama the President of those voters who elected him, or does he serve other masters? It appears we may soon know the answer.

[daleo]

3. The article is wrong about at least one thing

It says the Iraq war cost hundreds of American lives - the correct term is thousands of American lives.

[another_liberal]

4. I tried to add a [sic] after that inaccuracy.

The format only included a blank space.

[uppityperson]

5. Locking as analysis/feature/commentary rather than LBN. Thank you for understanding

Repost in GD perhaps.