With Us--Period

On Syria, President Obama denies we are doing anything on our own. Indeed, he stated "First of all, I didn’t set a red line. The world set a red line."

Yeah, we can all look back on the cowboy days when President Bush at least offered the world a choice to be either with us or against us. Now, bypassing the "hocus pocus" of the UN, our president pretends to speak for the world.

I do in fact support the president in taking action against Assad. I worry that the rebels will be disheartened if we do nothing. With three days of strikes planned, it may do something and at least look substantive.

Mind you, I'd rather have our retaliation be--or at least include along with strikes--firm support for non-jihadi rebels to overthrow Assad.

And my support is conditional on it not being taken despite an explicit refusal of Congress to approve the strikes. I believe the gray area between commander-in-chief and Congressional war powers would support the president's ability to launch strikes in response to Assad's chemical weapons use. But the gray area is erased by asking Congress for authorization.

Yet despite my conditional support, after Democrats hammered Bush over amazingly similar circumstances--for the better part of a decade--I'd have to be a really great man to let the inconsistencies go unmentioned.



At best, I'm alright.