Retreat: Obama now interested in Russian diplomatic track as Reid puts Senate vote on hold

Is there a bit of “Cuban missile crisis” redux going on here? JFK benefited, back then, from glorifying kudos and generational admiration for resolving the crisis and causing Khrushchev to blink. Many years later we learned the JFK administration removed missiles from western Europe as a concession to the Soviets in return for them to take back whatever they had shipped to Cuba. Problem was the missiles in Cuba were likely not operational and the US missiles in western Europe had been their for a long while. Net effect: Soviets got a more vulnerable western Europe/NATO without any loss to their capabilities and JKF got to appear as a world class virile statesman.

I wonder if the WH might have bargained something away to the Russians in return for an Assad ‘guarantee’ to turn over chem weapons? I’ve read in the press the WH floated the idea of handing over missile defense technical data to the Russians as an incentive for new SALT talks yet the Pentagon balked. Perhaps it is now fait accompli.

At any rate, this opens a window of opportunity for the administration to avoid a potential embarrassing defeat in the House while alloying the President to claim a victory.

Sigh. Deep down it feels the Russians have the upper hand; we have degraded our defensive posture: and we have not done anything to advert the fall of Syria to radical islamists.

Regards.

Absolutely right. This is a home run for Russia and Putin.

But, (and its a big but due to the low information voters loving democrat spin) the adoring press will praise Obama saying that because of our threats of strikes (even our incredibly small strikes), Syria accepted the offer. Victory USA.

It is going to be hard to beat back the gag reflex over the next couple of days.

Oh, BTW, they will never find the majority of his stock of gas WMDs; it will all be a fiasco. Further prediction - Assad will ask for help from the international community with the rebels to shut them down so he can lead the UN inspectors to the stockpiles. Boy, have we been played.

Disagree----definitely connected. They bragged about
Democrats using "smart power"....and they failed on every front.

The Democrats' 'Smart Power' Lies in Ruins
National Review | Sept 3, 2013 | Jim Geraghty / FR Posted by kristinn

Democrats Suddenly Realize What They Miscalculated About the World: Everything

As we await Congress’ decision on authorizing the use of U.S. military force in Syria, Democrats are suddenly realizing that their foreign policy brain-trust completely misjudged the world.

Being nicer to countries like Russia will not make them nicer to you. The United Nations is not an effective tool for resolving crises. Some foreign leaders are beyond persuasion and diplomacy. There is no “international community” ready to work together to solve problems, and there probably never will be.

You can pin this on Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Susan Rice, but most of all, the buck stops with the president. Those of us who scoffed a bit at a state senator ascending to the presidency within four years on a wave of media hype and adoration are not quite so shocked by this current mess.--SNIP

I never thought of that. You are wide awake.

But now that you point it out to me............

Don’t take any bets that Putin will not volunteer to do that.

The UN would likely say “You agreed to find them and take them to a safe place, go to it.”

That would get the UN off the hook.

So then Russian troops will be in Syria.

If he does volunteer, obumbler will not like it but what can he do about it?

When DU is running headline entries like “I guess diplomatic options on Syria weren’t ‘exhausted’ after all”, you know Obama is in trouble.

DailyKos chimes in, saying that this new proposalis “[p]roof that all the diplomatic options had not been exhausted before the administration announced it would bomb Syria. That is lesson to remember the next time any president of secretary of state says otherwise.”

Politico says “The talk of the diplomatic initiative as potentially promising was jarring because in statements in recent days and continuing through Monday, administration officials insisted that all diplomatic efforts had been exhausted”

And if Obama wants to take credit for the idea, he’s going to have to explain why Kerry was so opposed to it. Remember, Kerry said THIS about the plan: “But he isn’t about to do it, and it can’t be done, obviously,”

So Kerry says that this “cannot be done”, and Obama is saying this is his plan. Can it be done or not? If not, the plan is stupid. If it can, Kerry is incompetent and should resign.

And Susan Rice, our now NSA chief previously known for lying on 5 talk shows in one day, missed the memo, saying on Monday: “Let’s be realistic — it’s just not going to happen now, ... Believe me, I know,”

Apparently, she is ignorant of what her own CIC is doing.

Also ignorant is Samantha Powers, our UN Ambassador, who just 3 days ago proclaimed ““We have exhausted the alternatives,” arguing that there was no possible diplomatic solution — ““We would if we could, but we can’t,” and it was time for a military strike.

She also said that any belief Russia would do anything useful was ‘naive’. And remember, she said this on the day that Obama claims he was negotiating with Russia to do something useful. So apparently, SP thought Obama was naive — which if so, would at least be one thing she got right.

I’d like to agree on your point, and it’s valid among the conservative part of the population, but the failure on every front, while obvious to us, is over the heads of the average American voter. All they’re going to hear tonight is the “media” narrative as to how Obama saved mankind through this “master stroke” of an agreement. Doesn’t matter that it amounts to nothing... appearances are the key here.

And never, ever forget the notoriously gnat-like attention span of the average American. Syria will be loooonnnnggg forgotten by 2016.

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