Barack Obama

Cha

(313,077 posts)

1. The heart of the matter.. from your link DonViejo..

Thu Sep 19, 2013, 04:55 PM

Sep 2013

“By hook or by crook,” Kevin Drum writes “Obama (a) raised the issue of Assad’s chemical weapons to an international level, (b) got Vladimir Putin (!) to take a lead role in reining them in, (c) got Assad to join the chemical weapons ban and agree to give up his stockpiles, and (d) [did] it all while keeping military pressure as an active option, but without ever firing a shot.”

In other words, for all the nonsensical talk of “appeasement,” the very crafty President Putin and the Syrian dictator now own this deal. Meanwhile, U.S. military options remain unchanged. President Obama has bought himself considerable freedom of action.

snip//

"So what do the Russians want? In a word, stability. Unlike the U.S., Russia has a large Muslim minority. Roughly 1 in 6 Russians is Muslim. Like the Tsarnaev bothers of Boston, MA, nearly all are Sunni. What Putin definitely doesn’t want is Chechen separatists getting their hands on nerve gas. Driving overland, Syria’s roughly as close to Chechnya as to Iran."

Interesting analysis from Gene Lyons.. mahalo DV~

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How Obama Left The Neocons Feeling Foolish [View all] DonViejo Sep 2013 OP

The heart of the matter.. from your link DonViejo.. Cha Sep 2013 #1

KnR Hekate Sep 2013 #2

Well, I'm not foolish enough to listen to the President's big critics anyway IrishAyes Sep 2013 #3