Has Obama's red line on Syria's use of chemical weapons gone from pink to yellow?

 

 

 

It wasn't that long ago when Obama made the statement in response to why he wasn't doing more to help the Syrian rebels against Assad, that if Assad ever used chemical weapons against the rebels, it would be crossing a red line. And that crossing of the red line would be a game changer.

At the time Obama made the statement he was confident he would never have to back it up because he was certain that Syria wouldn't use chemical weapons. They did.

Obama's response  to Assad's use of chemical weapons the first time, which he waited days to acknowledge when the rest of the world had confirmed it days earlier, was the same response he always gives. The same response he gave to his promise of  a public healthcare option. The same response he gave to his promise of real financial reform and holding banks who were responsible for the financial crisis accountable.  The same response he has given to his promise to close Gitmo.  The same response he gives to everything.  The response was nothing. A  grudging shipment of small arms to the Syrian rebels that was the equivalent of  giving the rebels the capacity to throw spitballs at a battleship.

Now there is evidence that, not concerned about any kind of intervention from the United States, Assad  launched a  second chemical attack, this one massive and against Syrian civilians -- non combatants including children, women and the elderly that by some estimates killed more than 1,300. They symptoms described by doctors make it a near certainty that Sarin gas was used.

It had to make an impression on Assad that the first time he used chemical weapons, Obama's red line turned pink. And so unconcerned about a response from Obama, Assad used them again, with even deadlier consequences. John McCain who has long advocated more intervention by the United States has said the same thing even suggesting it was Obama's lack of response the first time chemical weapons were used, that emboldened Assad to use them again without fear of consequences.

Obama again isnt do much beyond paying lip service to the most recent chemical attack.. His response during an interview on CNN was that the use of chemical weapons " starts getting to some core national interests that the United States has". Haven't we heard that before? A State Department spokesperson said:  "If these reports are true it would be an outrageous and flagrant use of chemical weapons by the regime". Thanks for letting us know that. Because without that Obama approved statement we'd all be befuddled as to what the use of chemical weapons might mean.  Now we know that if chemical weapons were used, it would mean chemical weapons were used. And it would be outrageous and flagrant. As opposed to what? A reasonable and discreet use of chemical weapons? This is Obama at his best. Saying nothing but trying to make it sound like somethng. It's his administration's idea of fighting back with their own chemical weapon: hot air.

The spokesperson also added: "the president  of course has a range of options that we've talked about before." And talked about before and talked about before and talked about before.

Back in April after Obama's first red line was crossed,  his somewhat diluted response to his red line being crossed, his game changer, was promising to send small arms to the Syrian rebels which of itself was a completely empty gesture in that it wouldnt make a dent in the rebels ability to stop Assad's forces. But no one knew exactly how empty a gesture it was until now when rebel forces have complained that to date, those small arms which Obama promised,  as insignificant as they were, was never sent to the Syrian rebels.Obama promised them back in April. Four months later he still hasnt sent them. Adding this to the healthcare public option, holding banks accountable for the financial crisis, closing Gitmo and a truck load of other Obama promises that ended up as landfill.

If Obama still takes no decisive action in the wake of the 1300-1500 civilians killed by these chemical weapons,  it will prove that Obama's red line, which he already had turned pink, was really yellow all along. And a  yellow line  that Obama will not cross.