On this occasion we should be grateful that Obama failed.

[Skinner]

10. Apparently "failure" means that you didn't predict the exact outcome from the beginning.

Nevermind if the outcome itself is desirable. You need to have specifically planned for that specific outcome, and only that specific outcome in order to avoid failure.

As far as I can tell, this is the go-to argument against President Obama this week. It is also absurd.

None of us knows whether President Obama actually intended to attack Syria. I think he did intend to attack Syria. Because he sure looked like he intended to do it. Furthermore, I think it is safe to say that this outcome would have been much less likely if the United States wasn't threatening to attack Syria.

Did President Obama plan for this exact outcome? Of course not. Did President Obama create an incentive for Syria to make concessions? Of course he did.

If this deal does happen, and Syria's chemical weapons are put under international control without a single shot being fired, then President Obama is going to get some of the credit. For one simple reason: Because he deserves it.

Spin it as a failure all you like. But the bottom line would be that 1) military strikes were averted, and 2) something was done about the chemical weapons. Last time I checked, everyone here claimed that those were both good things.