Keep a close eye on U.S. Media as to “how” they report on President Obama’s isolation.
(Via AFP)  World leaders arrived Thursday for a dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin where they would discuss the crisis in Syria, with US President Barack Obama showing up alone and well after the main group.

The main group of leaders led by Putin arrived together at the historic Peterhof palace outside Saint Petersburg, with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande seen talking animatedly at the back of the pack.
But Obama was nowhere to be seen and only arrived at the palace a good half an hour after the rest. (more…)

The vote from the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to put Obama’s Syrian resolution before the full Senate is essentially meaningless.    The subsequent vote amid the full Senate to support such a resolution is more politically valuable, but not terribly much.
The vote that counts, to authorize President Obama to use our military and attack Syria, will only come from the House of Representatives – The ‘People’s House’.

With that in mind a couple of recent tracking polls, ABC and Think Progress, are in alignment: (more…)

I think it is prudent to go back to June 2011 and remind everyone that President Obama took us to war in Libya without congress.   He even stayed in the conflict after his own Office Of Legal Counsel advised him he was violating constitutional law:

(June 2011 – New York Times)  President Obama rejected the views of top lawyers at the Pentagon and the Justice Department when he decided that he had the legal authority to continue American military participation in the air war in Libya without Congressional authorization, according to officials familiar with internal administration deliberations.  (link)

(Via Politico)  Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday said if the Assad regime in Syria “were to be foolish enough to attack yet again and to do something in the meantime,” President Barack Obama “knows he has the power” to attack unilaterally and would likely “move very, very rapidly” — but “he feels we are stronger” moving with congressional authorization. (more…)

Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with President Obama, and his decision to attack Syria as punishment for chemical weapon use, it is prudent, and we are personally requesting, for all of us, regardless of disposition, to pause and pray for the safety of our nation’s soldiers who will be tasked to carry out the command.

Like many, perhaps most, I do not support the approach – Nor do I think it is in our nations best interests. However, regardless of my disposition I am certain that our military will execute their objectives with unparalleled professionalism and respect for duty.

We should not be quiet; yet we should not bitch and moan without purpose.

We should fight like hell to have OUR voices heard by our representatives; and we should demand those who we have elected to hold the Executive Branch to account…..

…. and then, in the final analysis, if our voice is overruled – regardless of our frustration or angst, we should present ourselves on bended knee and pray for those who ultimately are charged with carrying out the decisions of our national leadership.

It is from the diligence of our brave military we are able to rail, protest, and demand voice.

All About Politics – All About Optics – All The Time

Every single move our President takes is determined by political winds…..
Wow.  Just wow.   The speech by President Obama this afternoon was just staggeringly unreal.   Bizzarro World Type pretzel contortions.    The speech was short, but in a surprising twist Obama announced he will seek congressional authority on attacking Syria even though he believes he has the authority to go ahead with strike. (this really is must watch stuff – even if you find yourself challenged to stick with it through the absurd nature of what you are bearing witness to)

Following the speech Charles Krauthammer accurately captured several optical realities.
(more…)

In 1986 Libyan diplomats, acting at the specific instruction of Libyan leader Qaddafi, sent a bomb expert, Yasser Chraidi, from Tripoli to East Berlin.   Chraidi was a member of The Libyan People’s Bureau (LPB).   Driving a Volkswagen Golf bearing East German diplomatic license plates, Chraidi then left East Berlin and traveled through Checkpoint Charlie into West Berlin.
He constructed and hid his device in an apartment belonging to a Palestinian student.   On April 5th 1986 the bomb was delivered to an apartment beloging to Ali Chaana.   His wife, Verena Chaana, and her sister Andrea, took the bomb to Friedenau, a district in West Berlin, where they walked in to “La Belle”, a popular Black hip-hop style nightclub.    It was shortly after 1:00am and the place was packed. (more…)

Melodrama –  A presentation in any form, such as a play, film,  television program or speech, characterized by exaggerated emotions, stereotypical characters, and interpersonal emotional conflicts which replace logic, forethought and careful deliberation.

Want to really know how bad it is?   And by “bad” I mean how far over their heads the current lineup of appointed Obama international crisis/conflict members are.   Check out this Q & A From Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (more…)

….The issue at the time was American Independence, 230+ years ago. 

More on the historical context HERE

I’m telling ya, this is de-ja-vu all over again…. As expected, the golfer-in-chief looks into his political 8-ball and says about Syria – pick the course of action that makes me look strong, makes me look good enough, not wanting to be mocked……   Nuf said.    He knows he’s turning this into a win for al-Qaeda, but he needs it to look like he’s magnanimous or something…. 
Remember in Libya, the Golfer even defied his own Office of Legal Council advice, and violated the central restrictions on his own executive power… 

Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon general counsel, and Caroline D. Krass, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, had told the White House that they believed that the United States military’s activities in the NATO-led air war amounted to “hostilities.” Under the War Powers Resolution, that would have required Mr. Obama to terminate or scale back the mission after May 20.  [2012 link]

President Obama ignored them, dispatched them for other advisors who would agree with his own pre-conceived Power/Rice/Clinton/Jarrett agenda.  So essentially, anything goes in his own mind – so long as the politics of it can be steered in his favor…
(Via LA Times)  The apparent poison gas attack that killed hundreds of Syrian civilians last week is testing President Obama’s views on military intervention, international law and the United Nations as no previous crisis has done. (more…)

The current, 2013, political discussion about U.S. intervention in Syria is exactly the same conversation from February 2011 about Libya.   Same argument (R2P), same players (Obama, Power, Rice, Jarrett) and same ideology – The only difference is ignoring the anticipated outcome. 

When the Freedom Green Party in Iran stood up in 2009, President Obama said he preferred to “reach out” – The Islamists killed the Freedom Criers.
In Egypt, 2010, Obama played golf, then stood behind al-Qaeda affiliate Mohammed al Zawahiri and Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Morsi – The Islamists killed the Freedom Criers.
In Libya, 2011, Obama played golf, then stood behind “the rebels” led by Mustafa Abdel Jalil, who held the place card for al-Qaeda Benghazi Division –  The Islamists drove the Freedom Criers to Tripoli and now control Eastern Libya, Benghazi, Darna et al.
In Syria, 2011, Obama played golf, then played golf, then played more golf, and then finally played even more golf.
Leading to Syria, 2013.
When Saddam Hussein’s family fled Iraq, where did they go?   Syria.   When Hussein was playing hide-and-seek with the WMD used to kill the Kurds, where did the convoys go?  Syria.
When the Afghanistan fighting season ended in 2011 where did the Ayman al Zawahiri al-Qaeda go?   Egypt and Libya.   When Benghazi started to work on overthrowing Quackdaffy, where did the “rebels” come from?   Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan.
You see, this is, essentially, a mobile al-Qaeda force compromised of hardline Salafist Islamists, who flow to where the freedom conflict lies, and when they get there they mount their efforts. (more…)