So now Kerry is a liar?

[MADem]

123. Hollande is ready to contribute fighter aircraft, if need be.

He's more enraged than most--he'll support the rebels to make life miserable for al-Assad.

America has ALWAYS supported a Yemen Scenario for Syria. Kerry has been one of the strongest proponents. He, better than anyone else, understands the Machiavellian admonition, somewhat paraphrased, that "War is what happens when diplomacy fails." As the nation's premier diplomat, he's not about to let diplomacy fail if he can help it.

The action that US and her allies will be taking is akin to a group of kids on the streetcorner, seeing an innocent youngster being abused by a thug, taking action by dragging the thug into the alley and delivering a beat-down that he won't soon forget. They may take his wallet, they may take his lunch money, they may even steal his bike, but they will leave him with his life. They may tell him he's better off if he doesn't come 'round here no more--and that's what they hope to accomplish.

The existing regime makes the water and electricity flow, the bureaucracies of government provide for the citizenry, and gets the streets (that aren't strewn with rubble, anyway) swept. They may be brutes, but they know how to run Syria. By getting rid of the biggest brute, there's hope to restart a conversation. If al-Assad takes a powder and his VP steps up, perhaps diplomacy will be possible.

You'd never know by that reading some of the foolish crapola flung out here in the last few days by self-anointed "experts."

The minute you see "Obama evil!!" (substitute Kerry if you'd like), and "PNAC" and "BushCo" and "MIC," and let's not forget the "Cheney/Rummy" references, you know you're in for a heaping helping of generalized, knee-jerk bullshit that isn't related to the truth at all. The far right might want some of those "boots on the ground" (to what point, really?) but this administration doesn't want to go that way. Further, even if they were stupid enough to want such a dumbass scenario, they'd have a hard time doing it, since they're sending the Army home at a rapid clip with this drawdown. You'd think, if they were rubbing their hands together with glee just waiting to "invade," they'd have kept the invading force on the payroll, ya?

There's a reason the perpetual alarm-sounders are behind keyboards, griping, and not serving in any capacity at State or Defense!