For Obama, Outrage Over Syria Is The Easy Part
The present Syrian crisis ranks among the most vexing moments of President Obama's presidency.
The recent heart-rending images of Syrian civilians, many of them young children apparently killed by chemical weapons used by the government of Bashar Assad, have raised the volume on calls for the president to act.
But while there's a clarity to the outrage itself, for Obama things quickly get murky.
The president had most likely hoped his earlier "red line" warning to the Syrian regime on the use of chemical weapons would have dissuaded Assad from using chemical weapons. It didn't.
Instead, now that the weapons have been used, foreign policy experts say Obama must use U.S. military force if only to maintain credibility in the eyes of the world. The administration has given every indication the president intends to use force.
Secretary of State John Kerry furthered that view in a brief statement he delivered Monday at the State Department:
"There is a reason why no matter what you believe about Syria, all peoples in all nations who believe in the cause of our common humanity must stand up to assure that there is accountability for the use of chemical weapons."