As of this writing, it’s unclear where things stand.
There is a vague offer by Vladimir Putin agreed to by Syria to turn over chemical weapons, but Russia opposes a binding U.N. resolution to that effect and the details are to be worked out. Putin also insists that the U.S. agree not to use force.
We will see how this all plays out, but it appears that Obama is negotiating the terms of a surrender to Putin and Assad.
Reactions:
https://twitter.com/ChuckLane1/status/377606769259708417
https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/377603647317630977
https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/377605225743269888
https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/377603196169891840
The entire US govt—including the Commander-in-Chief—is waiting on the Russian president. #TheFierceUrgencyofLater
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) September 11, 2013
Why aren't you in jail? MT @davidgregory Diplomacy gives Mr Obama more time to win political backing for military strike.
— I got your #Unity right here (@jtLOL) September 11, 2013
https://twitter.com/ChuckLane1/status/377604977834737665
Very matter of fact speech. Wasn't overly emotional, nor did it drone on. Simple and straightforward until he got to diplomacy part.
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) September 11, 2013
At the point of the diplomacy explanation of last 24 hours, guessing many folks wondered why then the president was speaking in prime time
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) September 11, 2013
A speech to a public that doesn't want to go to war by a president who doesn't want to go to war.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 11, 2013
The president's speech as delivered was probably shorter than the draft he reviewed before the Russian proposal. In a holding pattern.
— Philip J. Crowley (@PJCrowley) September 11, 2013
@AriFleischer you know, that was precisely my take-away. I don't think it's going to grow support. But it will help run down clock…
— Elizabeth Scalia (@TheAnchoress) September 11, 2013
military strike "delayed for weeks, if not months," @MarthaRaddatz reports @ABC
— Rick Klein (@rickklein) September 11, 2013
Twitter is a strange place during televised speeches.
— Scott Conroy (@ScottFConroy) September 11, 2013
Obama asks the left to explain how it can support inaction given Assad's atrocities. #Syria
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) September 11, 2013
who are obama's "friends on the right?" #syria
— Peter Beinart (@PeterBeinart) September 11, 2013
Obama: "I will continue my own discussions with President Putin"
— Ethan Klapper (@ethanklapper) September 11, 2013
Revisionism on how the "Russian plan" came about, but that's expected.
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) September 11, 2013
There is literally nothing new so far from the same arguments that have lost support over the last two weeks.
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) September 11, 2013
Obama: "even a limited strike will send a message to Assad that no other nation can deliver"
— Stephanie Condon (@StephCondonPDX) September 11, 2013
Obama speech is 4 letters: B.U.S.H.
— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) September 11, 2013
"I was against getting Congressional approval before I was for it… "
— Space Outlaw (@RadioAnarchy17) September 11, 2013
#POTUS reiterating the Bush doctrine. WMD in hands of terrorists
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) September 11, 2013
Was hoping for a tougher Obama tonight. For once, make the people who should be afraid of us afraid, for heaven's sake!
— Jedediah Bila (@JedediahBila) September 11, 2013
Didn’t John Kerry give this speech 11 days ago?
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) September 11, 2013
https://twitter.com/JeffreyGoldberg/status/377598591025422336
https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/377598642590216192
https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/377597156040769536
https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/377597876513161217
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Comments
Obama: The only leader in history to get his country in a military quagmire without firing a shot.
This ought to be playing in the background during the speech …
Brave Sir Obama ran away, bravely ran away away.
When danger reared its ugly head, Obama turned his tail and fled.
Yes, Sir Obama turned about, and gallantly he chickened out.
It’s a Nobel thing
[…] A boob can only beget boobery. Thus it has ever been. Thus it will always be. […]
If Obama goes along, will Putin turn over Snowden? As long as Putin is starting the negotiations…let’s negotiate.
yeah .. we get Snowden, and a traitor to be named later.
What did Obama get for forsaking that missile shield? Oh yeah … nothing but a pat on the head from Russia.
I think you’re forgetting that after patting Obama on the head, Mr. Putin also tickled Obama’s balls . . and then put them back in the jar on his desk.
Putin doesn’t have to “give up” anything. He’s the one in the strongest position, not Obama.
I’m just glad I remembered to take my meds before watching. His speeches seem to do bad things to my body. So usually I don’t listen, but here I’m in good company!
Americans were not looking for a “Showdown At Black Rock.”
Americans didn’t want Tomahawks shooting into aspirin factories!
Assad’s biggest problem comes from the saud’s. They’re the ones funding the foreign jihadis. And, be assured, Americans are not backing the saudis.
What does this “event” feel like? The Cuban Missile Crisis. Outside of JFK’s assassination, the biggest political memory goes to the “Cuban Missile Crisis.” (Not to the Bay of Pigs.)
The event feels like watching a three stooges movie.
I haven’t watched a single Obama speech, and I never will.
I’ve seen several: you haven’t missed anything, yet.
Likewise. He’s not capable of not lying. Listening is a degradation.
Whoops! There he goes again with the “Let me be clear.”
That would be a first!
Shoulda given him some bongos, his hand thumping is making me crazy.
Valium. A salt lick of Valium and a quart of Jack while we watch the Miley Cyrus of politics.
Mr. President, if you had proposed some sort of action that would have been EFFECTIVE to prevent the death of little children by gas weapons, I’d support you.
Enough holes in this speech to drive an entire fleet of dump trucks through it. Do we need to parse this?
I participated in a telephonic town hall tonight with my Congressman, Emanuel Cleaver, MO-05.
Cleaver said 58,000 people were on the call. Not one person who got through to speak favored a strike on Syria. Cleaver held a physical town hall over the weekend. He said on tonight’s call that it was standing room only. in that town hall only 6 people favored a strike. They happened to be Syrian-Americans. Not that their nationality matters any more or less than anybody else’s, but Cleaver offered it up so I relay it.
Any idea where the Syrians who want the Americans to launch cruise missiles at their coutry are writing? I can’t find them.
I thought it was bizarre for him to single out the heritage-nationality of the 6 people who favor a strike.
Oh, well. I just saw a trailer for “The Fifth Estate,” a movie where CNN’s disgraced Vice President, Eason Jordan, was actually backed up by non-fauxtography video.
Hollywood is enamored with perversity, lately. The real story would have been just as interesting. Why did they have to support a vicious lie?
I really enjoyed the little boy’s speech, especially since I cannot, could not, would not listen or watch him. However, I did get the full gist via your brilliant comments. They are witty and amusing. Never enjoyed Pres. Diaper Pants so much. Thanks.
gabilange: Ditto that !
Spent the time at our local Town Board Meeting where government gives the community open time to contribute a public statement(s) on any issue. It was agreed, by comment only, it was time better spent than being home listening to what Obama had to say.
Opening vote count in one of the two CO recall elections…
Results: Yes:6751 52.18% No:6186 47.82% #CORecall #Copolitics #COleg
by ClerkEPC via twitter
100,00 Syrians dead by “conventional means”, including hundreds of children, and at least 502 dead (the 1400 number is so far unsubstantiated) by possible chemical attack. And we still don’t know for certain who used chemical weapons IF such weapons were indeed used!!
Where in hell was Obama’s outrage about all of “the children” when they were being shot and blown up? I don’t believe it existed, and I don’t believe it now. Obama has a propensity for trotting out children when it suits his agenda (remember the Newtown kids on display when he talked about gun control?), and it appears to mean nothing other than they make good propaganda backgrounds.
Now his credibility and that of this nation has been trashed. We are the new laughing stock of the world and the office of the President has been demeaned. He has basically surrendered to the bullies of the world.
And the really absurd thing is that the Syrian government is being supported by Hezbollah, our sworn enemy, while the rebels are being supported by Al Queda, also our sworn enemy. The entire Syrian civil war is our enemies fighting our enemies! We are now reduced to giving weapons and support to the same people who attacked this country 0n 9/11/01, and who have sworn to destroy us, as they are the only ones who think we should bomb Syria!
I need to take my meds and lay down. The hypocrisy and moral cowardice in the White House is giving me a migraine.
Watching Rand Paul on Greta.
Barack Obama — the President to make Rand Paul look like an elder statesman.
The President could use more time with serious thinkers studying world history and current events and less time on Letterman and Leno practicing stand up routines.
Top Colorado Senate Democrat (Morse…D) had conceded in his recall.
You know things aren’t going well at the White House when …
AP Fact Check Shatters Obama Syria Speech
I’m not so sure you can get people who really dislike Obama, to give anything close to “what history ends up saying.”
I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. After JFK was shot, that was the “glorious moment” history recorded of JFK as a Commander In Chief. Not the Bay of Pigs.
Sure, the approval needle really ran downhill when people in this country thought we’d get needlessly involved in Syria.
It seems “diplomacy” has given the world a pause. It’s not a surrender because Americans didn’t want to go to war! So your surrender is what? You won’t take another slug from the whiskey bottle?
The biggest threat in Syria remain the sauds. They’re supplying the crazed jihadists who are foreigners in syria, called “rebels.” And, if there’s any group we shouldn’t pick, that’s it.
Are Mideast countries now almost all in a mess? Yemen. Libya. Egypt. Syria. Lebanon. Go ahead, take your pick.
Time will tell.
It would sure be nice, though, if the GOP learned how to better play this game.
“The biggest threat in Syria remain the sauds.”
The Saudis hate the Muslim Brotherhood and so they are backing non-MB rebels and salafist groups. The Qatari’s are backing the more radical rebels. Qatar has the world’s second largest gas field and wants to build a pipeline to the Med. Syria and Assad are in the way.
The Saudis and Qataris were supplying arms to the ratbags while the US refused to arm the more secular rebels.
“Assad regime ‘distributed gas masks to their troops.'”
Interesting comment, particularly if true and accurate. That implies that if the nasty stuff was indeed sarin, as the press has been telling us, then maybe Assad’s off the hook. Gas masks are not much of a defense against sarin or any of the other nerve gasses, as of course the Syrians would realize. Nerve agents work through any exposed skin. Of course blister gasses, like Saddam Hussein’s beloved sulfur mustard gas, are pretty tough on exposed skin too, but not lethal. It has to get in the lungs for that, hence the utility of gas masks.
I have read that the gas/chemical attack soaked into clothing which meant the material was dispersed in liquid form. This fact suggests that the chemical, if it was Sarin, was Kitchen Sarin which could be manufactured by the rebels. Military grade Sarin is dispersed in a gaseous form, which doesn’t soak in but sits on clothing and skin and will contaminate others who come into contact with the material.
Additionally, reports also indicate that the material was accompanied by a strong odor. Another indicator that the material might be Kitchen Sarin. Military grade Sarin is odorless.
Moosechelle is really proud of her country now … grandma, too, on the 2nd floor. They are all tap dancing up a storm on the 2nd floor.
This whole thing just made me sick to my stomach.. to be witness to a sitting president absolve himself of responsibility in this situation. Disgusting.
I like how Obama said that he didn’t create a red line!
The missiles are flying.. hallelujah!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EO9y4rGxvk
Watching Obama play ‘Commander-In-Chief’ is like watching Woody Allen play middle linebacker for the Bears.
Я, например, приветствовать наших новых русских мастеров.
In what I’ll, ahem, diplomatically label as irony – today is Bashir al-Assad’s 48th birthday. One of his best in recent memory, I’ll wager.