No Shock And Awe as Obama Tiptoes Up to Military "Action" Against Syrian Regime

Like a man being sucked into the sea by an undertow, the demands that he shore up U.S. credibility is pressuring Obama to blow something up that belongs to the Assad regime in Syria. Various politicians are demanding a military attack since Assad crossed the "red line" of chemical weapons use- the line that Obama foolishly drew himself, once again falling haplessly victim of his own tendency to bluff at times. (The same pattern has been on display during the games of budget chicken he played with the GOP in the past.)

Of course, Assad crossed the line months ago. The latest attack, which the U.S. and even much of the Western media has been strangely reluctant to acknowledge, (notice how often the establishment media in the U.S., and BBC in UK, preface the nerve gas attack with the word "alleged") is so massive and brazen that Assad (and Putin too) will surely hold Obama in contempt if he once again looks the other way.

Doctors Without Borders, who supply the hospitals where the victims were taken, reports over 3,000 were gasses, with 355 fatalities. "Alleged" attack? Really? Get off it, cowardly West. THERE WAS A MASSIVE GAS ATTACK! Ok? Stop trying to create doubt as an excuse for inaction.

After the first attack, Obama should have said something low key, like "Assad knows where the line is," and then a few weeks later launched a surprise aerial attack. (Using cruise missiles or jets firing munitions from outside Syria, for example.) Any attack now, being anticipated well in advance, will lack any shock value. You don't telegraph your punches.

Anyway, if command and control centers are attacked, that can degrade the regime's power to kill and destroy to some extent, And with tons of nerve agents, the regime can murder hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Strong action short of invasion (which is rightly off the table) is required, otherwise Assad will no doubt increase the use the sarin and whatever.

Meanwhile in Syria, the scene of the crime, the UN inspectors, after five days of stalling by the regime, finally got permission to go to the area of the attack. On their way they were promptly fired on by regime snipers, forcing them to turn back. Following their standard playbook, the regime absurdly claimed the rebels fired on the well-marked UN vehicles.

It looks like years of horrors lie ahead for the people of that benighted land.