President Obama was recently considering military strike action in Syria after the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against a hundred helpless men, women, and children. We had, after all, indicated time after time that this sort of thing would not be tolerated by America or the rest of the civilized world. Why just a false rumor about these sort of weapons drove us into Iraq and a 1.3 Trillion dollar debt, not to mention the thousands of our best a brightest spilling blood in that hellish desert.
The military and the President were considering surgical drone and air strikes to wreak havoc with the traditional Government's military and perhaps give the insurgents an leg up on what's happening there. No American boot would ever hit the soil. The President was ready, was close to pushing a plan through, and then.....what happened?
Well, of course the Republicans happened. Ever eager to second-guess and challenge the President on every move, and in an attempt to foil any effort he might undertake to do the right thing and look good for doing it in the end. John Boughner started declaring that Congress should be consulted before any military action could be taken. Really? Since when? Since a black man held the White House?
Military action has been routinely exercised by Presidents since time began and seldom has it raised an eyebrow. But of course they were white. But I digress. Anybody remember Reagan in Grenada? Clinton in Kosovo? Reagan in Panama, and that Fighter plane shoot-down in Libya? And there are others especially the Queen Mother of them all, Truman in Korea. Of course war was never declared in VietNam either, but I can't remember and am too lazy to look it up and see if Congress was consulted over that little skirmish in Southeast Asia that took 54,000 American lives.
I can't decide if Obama is turning to the Congress so that he can lay it at their feet and later (if it happens again) be able to say to them "I wanted to take action, but you didn't want to." Perhaps he will listen to a bill of goods the war weary American people have been sold - that we just can't afford to stand up for what's right anymore.
Not to say that the other side doesn't have legitimate questions. They do. Senator McCain asks "What is the end game?" That's fair. Spell it out Mr. President. What are we talking about here? A one-time thing? Will two strikes make enough of a statement? What exactly are we talking about here? Those are totally legitimate questions and should be answered before anybody could weigh in with an intelligent opinion. Whether they be a member of Congress or John Q. Public. The President has scheduled a national address on Tuesday night, presumably to do just that.
And there is a question about the intelligence we have concerning the chemical weapons used. Certainly the President has the best intelligence our agencies can provide and there are things about it that you and I will never know. But Mr. President, make sure the intelligence is good and share it then with the key players in Congress so that they can spread the word.
But in the end, Congress and the American People may say no. And then Mr. President, as you sit in the Oval Office late at night with the lights low, and you sit with only your own wisdom and knowledge and gut instincts that tell you to do the right thing (and I don't know what that is), are you up to the task? If you decide to go it alone, are you willing to take the jeers from the stands Jackie Robinson? Are you ready to be, what John Kennedy would earlier call a "Profile in Courage?"
Whatever the outcome, I don't envy you Mr. President. But then again, you asked for the most horrible job in the world.
