Parliamentary Debate

http://www.juancole.com/2013/08/british-parliament-defects.html

I greatly appreciate having Juan Cole as a resource on the internet, but I think he misses something about the vote in Parliament that shot down military action in Syria.

Cameron presides over a coalition government.  The Liberal Democrats were notable for their reticence about Iraq, and as we've seen those who opposed Iraq even a little tend to be very anti-intervention.

Cameron can't risk whipping the Lib Dems on a vote of confidence, because he will lose and that will force elections... that he will likely lose.  The Lib Dems meanwhile, need to separate themselves from the economic hardships that the Conservatives have foisted on the country.

Cole does say that the case against Syria is stronger than some suggests, but that Obama might want to consider shifting to the humanitarian aid rather than strikes.

While there is some appeal to that, it strikes me as leading down the road to another Somalia.