Playground Politics

When the republican's are 'in the house' the media says war is evil and the pres is an enemy to the people. When the dems are in office the media says war is a necessary evil and the pres is saving the people. Our current occupant dragged his heel across the sand box when he said: "Use of chemical weapons by Syria would cross a ‘red line’". Well Syria crossed it and said 'You talkin to me?" 

now Obama is stuck pulling on the rope of war.

As Khrushchev said when Russia and the US were on the brink of war:     "If you did this as the first step towards the unleashing of war, well then, it is evident that nothing else is left to us but to accept this challenge of yours. If, however, you have not lost your self-control and sensibly conceive what this might lead to, then, Mr. President, we and you ought not now to pull on the ends of the rope in which you have tied the knot of war, because the more the two of us pull, the tighter that knot will be tied. And a moment may come when that knot will be tied so tight that even he who tied it will not have the strength to untie it, and then it will be necessary to cut that knot, and what that would mean is not for me to explain to you, because you yourself understand perfectly of what terrible forces our countries dispose. (read the whole letter here).

So the question for the day has Obama lost his self control? Can he back down from a double dog dare?  does he have a plan after he pulls the trigger? Put simply: Just war-making requires clearly articulated and substantive goals. Launching cruise missiles or air strikes simply to “show resolve” or “send a message” cannot be justified. At the end of the day, these rationales authorize symbolic killing,which is fundamentally immoral.