Road to Damascus?

by
Suzann Darnall

I am thinking more along the lines of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby comedy movies . . . not the epiphany of Saul. 'Cause I am pretty sure there will be no sudden awakening to the truth by Obama or his minions. However, I can predict a comedy of errors, except that it is no laughing matter when our military goes in harm's way. And, do not be mistaken, even if our people do not put boots on the ground, they are still at risk.

So, as we await the decision of "go or no go", I just want to share some of my random thoughts about Syria. My mind is all over the place on this one. Like so much of what happens in our world anymore. It is overwhelming.

First, I want to be sure to get this in! I believe the Syrian chemical weapons came straight from Iraq. I believed ten years ago that all the dilly-dallying, delays, and diplomacy gave them enough time to move Saddam's stash out of his country. And, they admit they tracked trucks across the desert into Syria . . . so, duh??? What do they think those trucks were moving?

Deter and degrade? What does that mean? What happened to destroy? Decimate? That is what I expect our military to do when we point them at an enemy.

I am also irritated by their games with words! Obama and his advisors don't want to go to "war". They are planning an "intervention". Ummm . . . in my world view an intervention is what happens when family, friends or authorities step in to help an addict. A war is what nations wage with weapons upon one another. I don't care if it is big, little, declared, boots on the ground, or constitutionally authorized. When our military is sent against the enemy WE ARE AT WAR! Plain and simple. And, war is destructive!!! Plus, it hopefully decimates the enemy!

Along this thought line, I do not mean decimate in the archaic meaning of taking out every tenth man, but as in annihilating the enemy so that they cannot retaliate. Leaving them defenseless. Stopped in their tracks. No longer a threat. Anything less is just plain ol' stupid! Especially when dealing with someone willing to use weapons of mass destruction on his own people!!!

And, don't even get me started on Obama's waffling about how he did not draw the red line. His words were, "We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would change my equation." Sure seems like he was drawing the line to me . . . except that I was always pretty sure he would never adequately back up his words.

Now he says, ""I didn't set a red line; the world set a red line. My credibility's not on the line. The international community's credibility is on the line. And America and Congress's credibility's on the line."

Well, I hate to burst little Barry's world bubble, but in this case HE is America and it is HIS Congress. So, HIS credibility is on the line. The red line. The red line that came from HIS words out of HIS mouth.

We have been repeatedly reminded that elections have consequences. Well, so do words. There are no do-overs on the world stage. There is not a backspace key once you have read the words off your lil ol' teleprompter buddy. They are out there, forever. Not even the liberal biased tame team media can make them go away.

I am Syria-sly (okay, a bad pun in honor of the Hope-Crosby aforementioned movies) concerned about Obama and his cohorts thinking they can drop by the Middle East for a little itty bitty war. You know, spend a weekend, drop a few bombs, lob some rockets, call it done, and head for home.

We have had too many of those little mini non-wars that have turned into debacles. Can anyone remember Viet Nam? It started out that we were just supposed to be advisors there. How did that turn out? Ask John McCain, who spent over five years as a prisoner of war in the infamous POW camp known as the "Hanoi Hilton".

War is not neat, it does not conform to a schedule, it is not without loss. War is messy, deadly, and unpredictable. Anyone who thinks anything else is an idiot. I am sore afraid we have a whole lotta idiots ready to pull the trigger on a weapon they do not fully have a good grasp of and not good grip on.

If Obama does this may the Lord have mercy on our military, for they will bear the brunt of the cost of his ill-thought remark and his desperate attempt to save face. It is always the military that pays the cost of freedom . . . and arrogant presidential stupidity.

© Suzann C. Darnall, SEPTEMBER 2013