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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Don't Chase Putin Out of Syria ‐ Let Him Fail On His Own
2015-10-10
Putin is no chess master.
He's matched up against Obama. He doesn't have to be.
He overstretched and misstepped in Syria, and U.S. would be wiser to wait him out than chase him out.
Someone is parroting the White House line and calling it original thinking...
With each Russian escalatory step in Syria, the situation only seems to get worse.
To whom?
Critics pile on, citing it as an example of President Barack Obama's "failed" foreign policy, calling for Obama to "do something" -- confront Moscow, punish it for its reckless behavior, reassert leadership. But what would that something be?
Something other than what Champ is doing now?
Across the political spectrum, there are calls for a more muscular U.S. approach in Syria. Some are talking of proxy battles,
Posted by:Blossom Unains5562

#11  Ah yes.

"Masterly inactivity ftw."
Posted by: charger   2015-10-10 20:06  

#10  So am I hearing here that this is all some geopolitical chess game between Putin and Obama? Why then, are we losing sleep over Syria while giving Iran nuclear weapons? If you wanna get tough with Putin, forget Syria. Forget Ukraine. Bomb Iran.

If you want allies in that region concentrate on worthy allies like Egypt, Jordan and Israel. Forget the rest of those weasels. They aren't worth it...to us or Russia. If oil is the big deal then why did we stay in Afghanistan and abandon Iraq? None of this makes any sense.

Oh. You think maybe Obama's plan is to turn Iran from Russia back to the West like in the old days with the Shah? Good luck with that. Bomb the bastards.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2015-10-10 14:51  

#9  Well, there is that rumor about Benghazi....

Those were Russian Soviet MANPADS, not Stingers, if the sources are correct.
Posted by: Pappy   2015-10-10 11:27  

#8  >The Saudis have their own financial worries, and no one sees Obama giving Stingers to anybody...<

Well, there is that rumor about Benghazi....
Posted by: davemac25   2015-10-10 10:56  

#7  ...They're his tools (in many senses of the word).
Posted by: Procopius2k   2015-10-10 09:51  

#6  Obamawages PR.

He doesn't have to. The MSM does it for him.
Posted by: Sven the pelter   2015-10-10 09:49  

#5  I'm sure back in the day somebody penned a short on how Hannibal retreated into south Italy out of weakness.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2015-10-10 09:27  

#4   Has this piece been written by the white house?

Close. The author is a former Defense official from the current Administration. He's now with the German Marshal Fund, a think tank. Its roster and Board appears to be loaded with names who used to work in the current Administration, plus a sprinkling of former "centrist" Democratic politicians and a Washington Post staffer or two.

Oh, and those aren't Blossom's inlines; the pink salmon commentary is Dr. Steve's.
Posted by: Pappy   2015-10-10 08:58  

#3  'Great Powers don't have friends. They only have interests.'

Otto Von Bismark from memory
Posted by: phil_b   2015-10-10 05:37  

#2  Putin wages war.
Obama wages PR.

The difference between modern warfare and primitive warfare. The former is gearing one's entire means to achieve victory, the other is a display of bravado with some throwing of spears and words/sounds trying to intimidate an opponent (regardless of the modernity of the tools and equipment).
Posted by: Procopius2k   2015-10-10 05:36  

#1  Has this piece been written by the white house?

Agree with Blossom
Posted by: paul   2015-10-10 01:24  

00:00