[Sherman Logan]

I believe this is a consequence of the extreme complacent self-admiration of the people presently running our government rather than a desire to cause what has happened.

Here’s my reasoning. To these folks, they are the most wonderful people that have ever existed. Everybody in the world wants nothing more than to be just like them.

Therefore, if we remove the restraints on people, like Assad, in the long run they will become just like us. Just like the idiot who said al Quaeda had been gaining support because it provided daycare.

They realized radical Islamists were a major part of the opposition we’d be supporting. But Islam is a religion of peace, and any radicalism is simply a logical consequence of reaction to the evil Bush.

Since they weren’t evil and they weren’t Bush, this radicalism would gradually die down and be replaced by a secular welfare state with gay marriage.

[Stentor]

Since they weren’t evil and they weren’t Bush, this radicalism would gradually die down and be replaced by a secular welfare state with gay marriage.

I really like your theory but wonder if Valerie Slestak is that benign.

[mason-dixon]

The Syria adventure by Obama is a result of his envy of Bush's apparent success (as of 2008) in bringing stability and a somewhat democratic government to Iran.

Obama thought it would be a walk in the park to change Syria by supporting "moderate opposition", so he led from behind, like in Libya, to set up the arms pipeline from his success in Benghazi to Syria (CIA site). This and other financial flows enabled ISIS.