Blog Credo

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H.L. Mencken

Friday, September 6, 2013

On The Merits

My Senator, Chris Murphy, voted against the AUMF for Syria.  I disagree, but I completely understand.  He doesn't see the merit in striking Assad's regime, and there are reasons to believe that's true.

But then you have things like this: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/09/rep-coffman-backs-away-from-military-action-in-syria.php?ref=fpblg

Here's a guy who was clamoring to strike Syria until the President put it to Congress and now he'll probably vote against it.  You saw something similar - I'd warrant - in Britain, where the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition was not strong enough to back Cameron.

The merits of a case like this are tricky.  There are rarely "slam dunks" in intelligence work and "beyond a reasonable doubt" is not usually the benchmark.  But after Iraq, no one trusts nobody in the intelligence world.

But this is the politics of the modern GOP and this is why Obama's decision to go to Congress will probably mean that Assad - in my opinion - will get away with gassing civilians.

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