Despite the distractions. President Obama’s attempt to lead the United States into an intervention in Syria may have provided the White House a distraction from the summer of scandal, but they’re still there, festering. As the president waddles toward lame duck status, the various scandals will increasingly come to shape Obama’s second term. ... MORE
Cooperation can achieve what force cannot. What's up with so many Democrats wanting missile strikes on Syria, while Republicans balk? I'm told Republicans are the war party. Is this just hypocrisy? Politicians change their position on military intervention when their own party controls the White House? Historian Thaddeus Russell says ... MORE
"All glory is fleeting." Everyone elected president comes into office modeling himself on some predecessor: Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan. But those who win re-election eventually end up wondering whether they should have emulated James K. Polk instead. Why? Because he promised to serve only one term, and he stuck ... MORE
John Kerry burped. Excuse him. That’s how he does foreign policy. Don a burping pad before asking him questions; you never know whether he will spit out war or peace. Last Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry held a press conference. CBS reporter Margaret Brennan asked Kerry how Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid a U.S. air ... MORE
by Ernest Istook. The emerging Obama Doctrine justifies attacking nations that violate “international norms,” as judged solely by the president. Based on statements by President Obama and key players, he could even launch attacks against those he blames for global climate change. Polluters and deniers beware: You may have to face our ... MORE
Figleaf justifying war falls to the ground. When Secretary of State John Kerry, apparently irritated by a lack of sleep, gave a snippy and what he thought was an unrealistic reply to a reporter's question at a London press conference last weekend, he hardly could have imagined the world's response. Asked whether there is anything Syrian ... MORE
Defense should not mean offense. Some things you just have to do, in spite of great uncertainty. Launching missiles at Syria isn't one of them. Many pundits talk about going to war as if all we have to do is make up our minds about what "ought" to happen — who the bad guys are — and the rest is just details. If we decide we must punish a tyrant, ... MORE
Glib words and weak actions. I cannot see why even a single American, a single Israeli or a single
Syrian civilian should be killed as a result of a token U.S. military
action, undertaken simply to spare Barack Obama the embarrassment of
doing nothing, after his ill-advised public ultimatum to the Syrian
government to not use chemical ... MORE
It makes no difference to victims what weapon is used. On August 21, Syria crossed the line by allegedly using chemical weapons against its own people. Obama has, therefore, decided that it’s time for the US to punish Syria. Assuming he gets Congress on his side, the US will once more be dragged into another senseless war in the Middle ... MORE
Campaigning is Obama's strong suit, not governing. Why are we even talking about taking military action in Syria? What is that military action supposed to accomplish? And what is the probability that it will in fact accomplish whatever that unknown goal might be? What is painfully clear from President Obama's actions, inactions and ... MORE
All about the bragging rights. President Obama's request for express congressional authorization for a limited aerial invasion of Syria raises profound legal and constitutional questions. For starters, there is simply no legal basis in international law to support an American invasion of Syria. Yet, notwithstanding that, federal law permits ... MORE
by Yossef Bodansky. There is a growing volume of new evidence from numerous sources in the Middle East — mostly affiliated with the Syrian opposition and its sponsors and supporters — which makes a very strong case, based on solid circumstantial evidence, that the August 21, 2013, chemical strike in the Damascus suburbs was indeed a ... MORE