For the BOG~ "On Syria, Obama had to go to Congress" By E.J. Dionne Jr. [View all]

snip//

"In seeking congressional authorization for military strikes against Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, President Obama is not weakening presidential power and is not looking for an out to avoid a war he doesn’t want. He is doing what is absolutely necessary in a democratic republic. He is rallying consent for a grave step and for what was always going to be a controversial decision."

snip//

"Gaining democratic consent is especially important for an action that has very large long-term implications and clearly divides the country. Yes, the president did not seek congressional backing for his Libya policy. But in Libya, the United States was acting in support of allies. “Leading from behind” was a controversial phrase, but it did convey correctly that the United States was not acting alone or even as the lead power. In this instance, the United States is the main driver of the policy, and support from allies may be limited to France and a few other nations. A congressional stamp of approval would give the action the constitutional and global legitimacy it would lack if it were the decision of only one person. The delay created by seeking congressional support has the additional benefit of giving Obama more time to rally support around the world."

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"Reluctantly, I think the president is right to strike against Assad. It’s widely said that Obama’s own words declaring a red line have boxed him in and that he has no choice but to act. That’s true, but insufficient. Obama spoke those words precisely because the use of chemical weapons risks, as he put it on Saturday, “making a mockery of the global prohibition on the use of chemical weapons” and “could lead to escalating [their] use.” He had hoped that his words would be enough to deter Assad. Unfortunately, that wasn’t true.

I use that word “reluctantly” because, like so many who believe the Iraq war was a terrible mistake, I am wary of military intervention in the Middle East. But because of what Obama said and, more important, why he said it, I think we have to act in Syria."

There's much more..
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/09/01/on-syria-obama-had-to-go-to-congress/

h/t TOD http://theobamadiary.com/2013/09/01/chat-away-220/#comments

this is E J Dionne's opinion.. that doesn't mean everyone has to share it. I just wanted BOG members to read his calm analysis. Something different than accusations thrown at Kerry and the President.

Again, for those who missed it in the caption.. [font color=blue]This is the Barack Obama Group [/font]

[font color=blue]BOG[/font]