How these Obama administration officials can continue to balance such sizable obfuscations on the tip of a pin is beyond my comprehension.    Al-Nusra Front is the jihadist arm of al-Qaeda in Syria.

The Al Nusra Front jihadists’ fight alongside, and with, the Free Syrian Army.   Their goals and agenda is exactly the same.  Yet somehow, Secretary Kerry can ideologically parse the FSA as good, and Al-Nusra as bad, and somehow conflate that to claim some kind of U.S. engagement policy will benefit the FSA but yet carve out no benefit for Al-Nusra.

It is important to note in December 2012 the U.S. Administration labeled Al-Nusra Front as a “Terrorist Organization” :

(Via New York Times)  WASHINGTON — The United States has formally designated the Al Nusra Front, the militant Syrian rebel group, as a foreign terrorist organization. (link)

The vote President Obama is now asking to delay, is the vote he previously requested which would have doomed his 2nd term to irrelevance – It was certain to fail.  
From an Obama position of brutally obvious weakness, Russia’s Putin twists President Obama and spins him like a top.    President Obama is going to speak to the nation tonight at 9:00pm. 
The core of how this is taking place is discussed, and what’s potentially at the root of the collapsing messaging, after two media reports:
FIRST FROM DC – President Barack Obama said Tuesday he wants Congress to delay its efforts to vote on authorizing the use of force in response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons until the round of diplomatic efforts that began this week has a chance to play out.
Obama’s comments came at lunch meetings with senators, which followed the administration’s commitment to engage in talks at the United Nations, and as Syria and Russia quickly responded to the action at the UN with their own statements and requests.
(more…)

Primary voting day today in New York City.    Mayoral Candidate Anthony Weiner votes without wife, Huma Abedin, at his side.   The media is noting her absence, while I wonder if she is even a U.S citizen.

Full Story HERE

(via iOTW) Himes and Blumenthal held a Townhall meeting today at the Darien, Connecticut  Library to discuss with their constituents whether going to Syria is in  Connecticut citizens’ best interest or not.

The room was packed but there was no real discussion that led Blumenthal or  Himes to see things differently, it was more Kabuki theater, with neither ceding  an inch of their steadfast hawkish beliefs. Blumenthal and Himes then informed  the citizenry that the support and opposition for the war was a mixed bag of  opinion, creating the illusion that their opinions are not out of lockstep with  the voters. (more…)

Here’s the White House S.P.I.N….. 

WASHINGTON DC – Secretary of State John Kerry told a closed meeting of House lawmakers that the Russian government is only seeking to help Syria because they believe the U.S. is serious about taking military action, according to multiple sources present.
The comment, which came in a classified briefing of the full House on Monday, mirrors public comments by other Obama administration officials: the threat of a military attack is working to bring the Russians to the negotiating table.
After enduring days of brutal skepticism from lawmakers of both parties, Kerry and other administration officials wasted no time in attempting to link Russia’s proposal to the pressure coming from the White House. Democratic lawmakers agreed.
“This suggestion today by [the Russians] about bring the chemical weapons Assad has under control, I think it’s a direct result of the president saying he’s ready to do whatever is necessary to back up what he’s already said,” Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said. (link)

The folks who write Saturday Night Live scripts could not have put a finer point on the political hilarity of Monday Sept. 9th any better than what bore out in real life.
First you have Secretary of State, John Kerry, speaking in London ( <- luckily) early in the day, answering a question, and say mockingly: “if Assad gave up his chemical weapons then we would not strike Syria“.

“Sure, he could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week – turn it over, all of it without delay and allow the full and total accounting (of it). “But he isn’t about to do it and it can’t be done.”

This gaffe was jumped on by the Ruskies who said “OK, we’ll take the WMD, Syria will not be able to use it” therefore problem solved.
What happens next is the stuff of SNL legend (watch video)

(more…)

Obama used to say jobs were the first thing he thought about after waking up,  and the last thing he thought about before tucking in.
If he’s truly worried about jobs, he has a funny way of showing it.

“SWATTING” – Swatting is the tricking of any emergency service (via such as a 9-1-1 dispatcher) into dispatching an emergency response based on the false report of an on-going critical incident.  (link)

LAKE MARY, Fla – Lake Mary Police are now questioning the validity of several  statements Shellie Zimmerman made when she told 911 dispatchers her estranged  husband, George Zimmerman, threatened her and her father at gunpoint Monday  afternoon.
“We did not find a gun, did not locate a weapon,” said Zach Hudson, public  information officer with the Lake Mary Police Department.  “Nobody ever saw  a gun. A gun is not part of this story.” (more…)

George Zimmerman attorney and new CNN contributor Mark O’Mara joined Anderson Cooper Monday night to react to Zimmerman getting into an altercation with his estranged wife and her father. Shellie Zimmerman called the police, saying her husband threatened them with a gun, but she ultimately did not file charges. O’Mara admitted there’s been some tension given Zimmerman’s divorce, telling Cooper they’re still “suffering” from being in the media spotlight. (more…)

All day long the pundits and talking heads on all the major networks have been talking about this unprecedented media push by President Obama. Almost all of them proclaiming amazement about President Obama talking to “Six” count them, S.I.X, TV broadcasters.
Well, it’s not quite what the White House would have you believe…..

I think the media got out foxed by the White House — each gets 7 minutes? That is really nuts. You can’t get information about an important issue like war in 7 minutes. If the President gives a long answer to the first question, you are cooked…time is up!
What the media should have done is asked to have the time combined – 42 minutes – and then pick out of a hat who did the interview from this group of 6 and let ALL NETWORKS use the interview like a pool interview. (Via Gretawire)