Look, I’m not going to pretend that the Obama administration hasn’t made some serious missteps here, nor will I deny that they look really bad. But, President Obama found an escape hatch that will allow him to delay any military response. In asking for congressional authorization (that he doesn’t believe he needs, legally) without calling for Congress to immediately reconvene, he’s bought himself a week, which will allow us to gets some results from the United Nations.
The inspectors were heading to The Hague with blood and urine samples taken from victims of the attack, as well as soil samples from areas where the attacks took place. They were due to deliver the sample to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Saturday afternoon.
The samples will be divided so each can be sent to at least two separate European laboratories for testing, according to United Nations officials, but experts said the testing would not be completed for several days at the earliest.
As I said yesterday, the administration is out on a limb with their allegations and their intent to strike Syria, and they need to at least find out what kind of chemical agent was used and how it was delivered before they even pretend to have proven their case. Right now, Vladimir Putin is completely comfortable saying things like this:
On Friday, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Syria’s patron, argued that it was “simply utter nonsense” to believe Syria’s government would launch such an attack and challenged the United States to present any evidence to the United Nations.
“I am convinced that it is nothing more than a provocation by those who want to involve other countries in the Syrian conflict, who want to gain the support of powerful members in international affairs, primarily, of course the United States,” Mr. Putin said in his first public remarks since reports of the chemical attack emerged. “I have no doubts about it.”
Putin’s right about one thing. The U.S. ought to provide their evidence rather than simply asserting that they have it. But, in asking for congressional approval, the president has bought himself an excuse for inaction which will give him a window to bolster his case or back down if the case can’t be bolstered.
He has, however, opened himself up for the same kind of humiliation that David Cameron suffered in the the UK. Much of the president’s party is opposed to unilateral action, and the Republicans love to oppose the president. If the administration doesn’t provide more irrefutable evidence, Congress probably won’t approve a strike anyway.
Maybe the president would be okay with that.
