The United States found itself Friday with France as its only major partner in a potential strike against Syria, after a stunning rejection of military force in Parliament forced Britain, America's staunchest ally, to pull out of any operation.
The collapse of British support for a mission to punish Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons puts pressure on President Barack Obama as resistance grows at home — and comes with the irony that France was the most vocal critic of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
As I've said before, I really just don't get this whole nuance thing. At all.
UPDATE: Even Turkey thinks we aren't planning to use effective military force and so want nothing to do with the President's 2-3 day lesson in good manners:
The Obama administration signaled Friday that any action against Syria would be brief and measured. Turkey, however, having declared it would join any international coalition against Assad, with or without U.N. backing, has made it equally clear it wants a more robust intervention. On Wednesday, according to Turkish media, Ahmet Davutoglu, the country’s Foreign Minister, counseled his US counterpart John Kerry that any action should be forceful enough to bring Assad’s regime to the negotiating table.
Even that is silly. We should be trying to defeat Assad. We can launch a 2-day symbolic action to restore President Obama's ability to believe he has heft in international affairs. But the real retaliation should be helping non-jihadi rebels defeat Assad and be strong enough to defeat the jihadi rebels in the next round of fighting.
Amazing. One hundred thousand plus dead later and our government still thinks Assad is someone we can do business with.
UPDATE: Related thoughts (tip to Instapundit):
President Bush may not have been greatly loved on the world stage, but he was respected by America’s allies, and feared by his enemies. In marked contrast, Obama hasn’t generated a lot of respect abroad, and he certainly isn’t feared.
Of course, as a practical matter, since our president is still saying he hasn't made up his mind yet (and whatever is on his mind will be brief and small), who can blame our potential allies for refusing to follow from the front?
