SYRIA AS A DEMOCRACY IS THE OBJECTIVE

Where are all the people who where calling for our intervention in Syria? I would find it interesting to replay all the video clips from all news and opinion TV showing people arguing their case for intervention in Syria. John McCain, the love a war “no matter where you find it” crew. All the “hate Obama coalition” such as Ted Cruz (R-Tx) who urged him to invade Syria because they knew the American people were “war weary” and would object. The Christian coalition who preaches that humanity is all goodness and light but want to “put all non-Christians to the sword”. At the other end of the political spectrum, there were the progressives who were upset over the humanitarian aspects. They abhor the idea that al Assad was killing his own people and forcing millions of them to flee and live in squalid refugee camps, etc but feel that more violence is not the solution; therefore, want Obama to do something but do not know what.   

Collectively, these groups, in one form or another, pointed out that America is the moral leader of the free world, the most powerful nation in the world, is the world leader, and on and on with additional forms of hyperbole. Their point was clear; war is evil and we must do something to stop their immoral acts. Obama is a progressive president; he felt the pain of the Syria people. He did not see it as an opportunity to make money as the neo-cons did in Iraq or see it as an opportunity to expand political influence as in Vietnam. Of course, he did not see it as an opportunity to be wartime president like George W. Bush who was jealous of his father’s “war time” popularity. All of these things set the stage for the rock and a hard place where Obama finds himself.

Obama, Kerry, and Hagel want a diplomatic solution to the entire situation in Syria. An agreement is on the table that would allow al Assad and rebel forces to agree to settle the conflict by agreeing to decide the fate of Syria by an election. The agreement is in its infancy therefore is fragile; therefore is not talked about. It is the judgment of our leaders that by one missile strike in the manner of Colin Powell’s doctrine of massive overwhelming force but limited to one massive strike—say two hundred missiles at one time to punish Assad for gassing his own people and forcing him to accede to an election in the spirit of the Arab Spring. The strike would be enough to make al Assad not to want it to happen again. Obama does not want to start a war to please McCain, he does not want to invade Syria (put boots on the ground) to open himself to criticism to please Ted Cruz and the other crazies in congress. He does want to antagonize the American people by starting another war. He does not want to target population centers to kill Muslims to please the Christians. He wants the Syrian conflict to end in a democracy where the Syria people are truly free to choose their friends: Russia, the United States, or both.

Above all else, Obama does not agree with Sarah Palin, who is quoted as saying, “It makes no sense to bomb Syria because Syria is bombing Syria”. It does make a lot of sense when you have an honorable objective. Sarah Palin probably thinks she is and expert because she could watch the bombing from her house.

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