(Via GWP)  JihadWatch reports the following:

Confirmation from the White House itself that John Kerry was lying when he said that the number of countries supporting the U.S. had reached “double digits.” “White House Admits It’s a Coalition of One,” by Patrick Brennan at National Review, September 8:

When asked this morning if the U.S. has any pledges of military support for strikes in Syria, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough emphasized that the G20 and other nations have made supportive condemnations of the Syrian government’s actions, but repeatedly pressed by CNN’s Candy Crowley, provided no examples of countries that have endorsed or will provide personnel or equipment for a military intervention.

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*Updated Congressional Vote Counts*   You can see how your congressional  House and Senate representatives are planning to vote:
Via ABC News Congressional Whip Polling:
OPPOSE MILITARY ACTION IN SYRIA: 75
LIKELY TO OPPOSE: 150                                        Total Oppose 225
SUPPORT MILITARY ACTION IN SYRIA: 19
LIKELY TO SUPPORT: 25                                       Total Support 44
UNDECIDED: 140
UNKNOWN: 23                                                          Total Undecided 163 (link)
The Huffington Post/Think Progress Polling: (more…)

Or as John McCain would say “Allahu Akbar” !!

In return Pope Francis rebukes President Obama !!

With all my strength, I ask each party in the conflict not to close themselves in solely on their own interests. #prayforpeace

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) September 5, 2013

Via Shadi Hamid, is the Director of Research at the Brookings Institute’s Doha Center:

Newspaper also claims that son of MB leader threatened Obama w- release of "papers" revealing his MB membership: https://t.co/x4lV2JdS91

— Shadi Hamid (@shadihamid) September 1, 2013

If you missed it, "liberal" Egyptian newspaper has front page headline claiming Obama as full-on member of Muslim Brotherhood international.

— Shadi Hamid (@shadihamid) September 1, 2013

In related news – the Eyptian interim government is reconsidering going back to the ban on the Muslim Brotherhood due to their entrenched terrorism.    It should not be forgotten the Brotherhood killed former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat which was the final straw the last time they were an allowed political entity.

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…)

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…)

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

More on the historical context HERE

Having watched a media cycle it’s obvious.   President Obama is going to strike Syria;  Alone.
Imagine if George W Bush refused to consult congress, garner congressional (ie. the peoples’) support, proceeded without U.N. mandate, defied the U.N. Security Council, ignored the entire international community and also failed to secure any allied backing prior to attacking another nation.
Think about it?
Seriously.   Given the history of the U.S. media and military conflict – Think about it?
Our ally, “The” #1 Ally, America’s strongest EVER -in the history of EVER- ally, Great Britain says: “meh, nah, you’re on your own with this one mate“…   ENGLAND?  Bloody Hell?…. we can’t even get them?
This Presidential hypocrisy is larger than all other familiar, and frequent, hypocrisies yet from this leftist administration; and that is saying a lot – because there have been a bunch of them.   This one however, is so blazingly incredulous, the light from where incredulous hides would not reach this example for a lifetime. (more…)

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…)

Side Question:  How come the media has stopped using the word WMD now that President Obama is in office?   Oh well,…..

Some things are more reflective than others.   A famous person once said: those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, or something similar.   Well, this is one Obama Administration repetition worth highlighting.

On Wednesday of last week the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the recent chemical attacks being witnessed in Syria.   Those chemical and/or biological attacks have been a great source of international attention and concern.
However, our U.N. Ambassador, Samantha Power, was conspicuously absent from the Security Council meeting.   The Administration was questioned, and the White House mysteriously avoided answering where she was.   Why was the United States not present during the meeting?   Where was Samantha Power?
Today it is reported she missed the meeting in order to attend a Charlie Chaplin Film Festival.   No joke, this is the real reason.   It sure explains why the White House was dodging the question and refused to answer.
But here comes the historical context. (more…)