Change of Heart: The Case for Sending Personnel to Syria; Totally-Go-It-Alone Ironies

I have had a change of heart. The US should send personnel to Syria. Notice I said "personnel", not combat troops or military equipment.

I had this change of heart after reading The Onion article Poll: Majority Of Americans Approve Of Sending Congress To Syria.

As President Obama continues to push for a plan of limited military intervention in Syria, a new poll of Americans has found that though the nation remains wary over the prospect of becoming involved in another Middle Eastern war, the vast majority of U.S. citizens strongly approve of sending Congress to Syria.

The New York Times/CBS News poll showed that though just 1 in 4 Americans believe that the United States has a responsibility to intervene in the Syrian conflict, more than 90 percent of the public is convinced that putting all 535 representatives of the United States Congress on the ground in Syria—including Senate pro tempore Patrick Leahy, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and, in fact, all current members of the House and Senate—is the best course of action at this time. 

“I believe it is in the best interest of the United States, and the global community as a whole, to move forward with the deployment of all U.S. congressional leaders to Syria immediately,” respondent Carol Abare, 50, said in the nationwide telephone survey, echoing the thoughts of an estimated 9 in 10 Americans who said they “strongly support” any plan of action that involves putting the U.S. House and Senate on the ground in the war-torn Middle Eastern state. “With violence intensifying every day, now is absolutely the right moment—the perfect moment, really—for the United States to send our legislators to the region.”

“In fact, my preference would have been for Congress to be deployed months ago,” she added.

France Drops Out of the Coalition of the Willing

The coalition of the willing is now down to one. French President Francois Hollande said after a G-20 meeting France to wait for U.N. inspectors' report on Syria.

Obama can stick with his "world must act" message, but the world is increasingly fed up with Obama's rush to war message.

Totally-Go-It-Alone Ironies

ABC’s Rick Klein noted historical ironies in Obama Faces Go-It (Almost)-Alone Decision On Syria.

President Obama will be alone should he choose to act militarily against Syria, for nearly all intents and purposes. He won’t have the public behind him; nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they won’t support military action without congressional approval. The vote in Parliament yesterday means he won’t even have Great Britain. The historical ironies run deep. “Just words,” it turns out, matter. And a man who would not be president except for his harsh critique of “dumb wars” and go-it-alone foreign policies is poised to engage in new military action virtually alone.

Note: The above was written on August 30, before France dropped out. Almost-Go-It-Alone has become Totally-Go-It-Alone.

Is Obama's Peace Prize Losing Its Luster?

ABC's Abby Phillip notes: "Perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the commander-in-chief of the military of a nation in the midst of two wars,” Obama said in his acceptance speech. On the bring [brink] of  a military strike on Syria, Obama is also dogged by the irony that his allure to liberals in the Democratic primary when he ran for president in 2008 stemmed largely from his opposition to the Iraq war. Obama never gave his peace prize back but some of his critics say Obama probably should. “There’s a growing sense that the Nobel Peace Prize has been tarnished by the award to Obama,” said Norman Solomon, whose website RootAction.org launched a petition earlier this year for Obama to give back the award.

Syrian Woman Rips Into McCain At Town Hall For His Support For Bombing Syria



Link if video does not play: Syrian Woman Rips Into McCain

The case regarding so-called "collateral damage" is extremely pertinent. Neither McCain nor Obama cares how many lives they destroy to get the regime change they want (then when they get the regime change they will not be happy with the result).

Let Obama Make the Case (To the Syrian People, Not US Congress)

In addition to Congress, I propose we send Nobel Peace Prize winner President Obama to Syria to plead his case for war to the Syrian people.

President Obama and Senator McCain should go first.

In the meantime, please Sign the Petition to Revoke Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com