Pres Obama in an interview on The NewsHour now...
Obama (paraphrased):
-First of all, I have not made a decision regarding Syria
-We've been very restraint
-As I said, if Assad used chemical weapons on his people that would change our calculations
-We have not yet made a decision, but hardly anyone disputes the gov't in Syria used chemical weapons against their people...there needs to be a consequence
-I have no interest in an open-ended conflict in Syria
-We hope a political transition can take place inside Syria
-What happened is heartbreaking...there is a prospect, a possibility chemical weapons will be directed at us
-If we send a shot across the bow to stop doing this, it could have a positive effect
The remainder of this interview was devoted to the MLK event today and the economy.
My thoughts...
-I believe Obama has decided to strike Syria, in spite of him saying several times that no decision has been reached
-Apparently Obama is being dogged with reminders of GWB's folly in Iraq when he says he's not interested in an open-ended conflict
-The biggest surprises to me were two of Obama's comments...there is a prospect, a possibility chemical weapons will be directed at us - I had not heard that before and it reminded me of GWB's "mushroom cloud" claims, AND Obama saying we hope a political transition takes place inside Syria
"...the empty desks of 20 children marked absent today, and forever"
-Poet Richard Blanco at President Obama's Inauguration, 01/21/13
