The Arrogance of Stupid Power

From the very beginning, the Obama Administration has failed the most basic tenet of national leadership on this debacle in Syria - zig zaging from one banal sound bite to the next, the public is aghast at the lack of a coherent plan or strategy to be implemented in response to the use of chemical weapons against the civilian population of East Damascus.  The American people want to rally around the President in a time of international conflict that endangers our national security.  Nonetheless, uniting the Nation in support of a plan of action to defend the country has been made impossible most assuredly by the absence of any meaningful plan of action by this Administration.  No American citizen believes that a pin prick, shot across the bow will accomplish anything on the ground in Syria other than to embolden Assad that he has taken America's best shot and finds himself neither particularly degraded, nor in the least bit deterred from continuing the slaughter of his own people in any fashion that suits him.

Instead of hearing the rallying war cry of "Remember the Maine", "A Day that will Live in Infamy" or even "The Whole World will Hear Us Soon", we get David Axlerod tweating: "Congress is like the Dog that caught the Car". Cheap political gotcha games do not inspire citizens, nor instill confidence in our allies that America's Commander in Chief will successfully manage any military campaign, however "limited" and "precise in scope".

Yet, far worse than than the dismal optics of the Administration's misconduct of the public debate on the Congressional war powers authorization, is the clear demonstration that this White House truly believes there will be no blow back or violent response to our attack in Syria. A miscalculation of that magnitude is absolutely frightening in its arrogance, naivate and blind stupidity.  When Senator Rand Paul challenged Secretary Kerry on the President's Constitutional authority to take the Nation into war contrary to the Vote in Congress opposing such initiation of military conflict, the Secretary dismissed the Senator's contention as frivolous because the Constitution requires Congressional approval only for real or "Classic war".  With a straight face, and I mean that literally - a very long, straight face - Secretary Kerry pontificated with deep and sincere conviction that the President is simply going to blow up a few buildings in Syria and then all the unpleasantness will be over in a matter of days, not weeks or months.

A very telling moment then occurred when the Secretary looked to nail down his put down of the Senator by asking General Dempsey, sitting right beside him, to concur on this obviously wise pronouncement that America will take a few names, kick some Arab butt and come home credibility restored, Hezbollah terrorists, the Iranians and Russians rendered impotent.  In reply, the Nation's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman turned to face Secretary Kerry and said:  "No Mr. Secretary, I do not want to speak to that proposition."  Kerry, forgetting to turn off his witness microphone, said to General Dempsey, the Congress and to the entire nation: "Thanks for pulling the Rug right out from under me, General".

Better Secretary Kerry loses control of his ridiculously wrongheaded talking points, than our Great Nation lose all control of its destiny by marching off to inflict a simple pin prick that causes our enemies in Damascus, Tehran, Moscow and Beijing to launch counter pin pricks - through surrogates at first - that lead to a second round of attacks to restore Obama's street cred, that lead to yet another round of counter strikes by these emboldened adversaries, with every escalation met by a similar upping the ante of war fighting until even Mr. Kerry recognizes the existence of that "Classic War" he can't envision happening.   Unintended consequences do happen after all, even to Nobel Peace Prize laureates.  

A Call to Arms

Tens of thousands are dead or dying in Syria - hundreds of innocent children and women every day.  Egypt is wracked by murderous sectarian violence; Iraq has blown up, again literally, Bagdad's streets are littered with shattered human wreckage and misery from daily car bombings; Iran is speeding toward wielding the largest killing machine in history, an atomic bomb; Yemen is so threatening to America that our Embassy has been closed, possibly permanently.  No country in the entire Middle East is peaceable or safe for Americans, Europeans or Israel's citizens. The Arab Spring may yet lead to a Nuclear Winter for the West, our civilization reduced to rubble or destroyed by Jihadists willing to kill forever in the name of Almighty Allah.

So, as chaos reigns, hard choices - none good, nor assured of complete success - need to be made here as our war weary nation is now threatened to be engulfed in these many murderous conflicts, spanning already two continents.  Russia has made its chosen path in the region known - every military armament available to be spared from the Russian arsenal has and will be flown into Syria to keep Assad, the Butcher, on his thrown, so he can kill, maim and torture his own people in perpetuity, Reset Button notwithstanding.

In the face of this vast carnage in Syria over the last three years, our Nation's key response has been to unleash first Hillary, and now John, on the Butcher Assad with ever more withering rhetoric. This week, however, America has finally reached the Rubicon, as President Obama has called upon the Congress to authorize his use of whatever military force he deems warranted to prevent more chemical weapon attacks on Syria's civilian population.

 In one recent press interview, the President said he intends to "fire a shot across the bow" of the Butcher Assad.  Regrettably, as Assad does not live on a boat out at sea, he probably won't even see the splash of this so-called harsh punishment.  But this is no time to carp or quibble about pin pricks or other one time symbolic, face saving gestures.  Because now the Congress gets a Vote, so will Assad, Putin and the Mullahs in Iran after America fires a few tomahawks into Syria's desert.  This President's fervent desire to sucker punch Assad, and then pivot back to his golf game with Joe Biden is just not the way the world works.

America and our Congress must now decide whether to get very serious about the perceived need to protect our national security. We have the military power to stop the ongoing carnage, at least for a long period of time through air strikes that ground the entire Syrian Air Force. Such a "All In" intervention - at great risk to our armed forces and citizenry due Jihadist retaliatory attacks - is not the President's Way, however.  Indeed, should Congress debate this authorization to go to war seriously, knowing that a sucker punch that does not knock the opponent unconscious, leads quickly to possibly countless and uncontrollable counter punches, may well reasonably decide not to intervene.  As stated at the outset, there are no good or guaranteed winning choices in today's Middle East conflict. 

Nonetheless, one absolute truth does exist in this geopolitical battle for regional dominance - any one or two day, pop gun shot across the bow will accomplish nothing more than reveal to the entire World that America is faking it; we will be justifiably seen as "phoning in" our supposed concern for the gassed  babies, mothers and fathers of East Damascus, let alone the other one hundred thousand slaughtered by more "humane" weapons.  I will not Vote for America to become the Joke of the Middle East. I have not yet decided on whether to call my Congressional reps to seek their support for "All In" either. Nonetheless, I will not be out golfing while I struggle with that seriously Life and Death Vote.  Our entire Nation deserves a few sleepless nights over this dangerous game changing decision.