Fighting for War

While the score on Syria doesn't look good the Obama administration has not yet begun to fight, according to the NY Times:

To improve its odds, the White House is enlisting virtually every senior official from the president on down. In addition to members of Congress, it is reaching out to Jewish groups, Arab-Americans, left-leaning think tanks and even officials from the George W. Bush administration, some of whom are acting as surrogates.

It is also getting help from the nation’s most powerful pro-Israel group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is mounting its own campaign for military action.

By the way, here's the Senate Resolution. It's pretty much the kitchen sink of 'whereas-es' but it does try to tie the hands of the Commander Guy by putting a no boots restriction and a 60 day time clock on the war kinetic action.  

One thing that will be interesting to watch--and what could sway some votes--is the idea that if we don't bomb somehow AQ groups will get control of Assad's WMDs.  Which is odd, because that should force the administration into explaining just how this could happen when they are saying most of the rebels are secular. 

But right now the vote looks pretty grim.  The 64K question is what it will look like in a few days.  Will they stoop to using 9/11 as a vivid reminder of how we need to eradicate WMDs so they don't fall into the hands of terrorists, being careful not to remind everyone that Bush said the same about Saddam during the dumb war? Might they tie Benghazi memories into making a new case to protect us from radicals while continuing to not answer any questions about it?     

Or will new revelations pop up from out of the ether from mysterious think tanks pushed by fresh faces with last names like O'Bagy?  Congress is now being shown the gruesome pictures of death by chemical weapon--but really, is that any worse than some sleazy jihadi using a butter knife to cut someone's head off for having an iPod or dancing or letting a little girl get an education?   

Which is why the people at large are skeptical.   Precious little can top the barbarism of Islamic radicals.  The public recently saw a bomb explode at the Boston Marathon and watched as a US Major turned on his comrades while yelling Allahu Akbar, pardon, Thank God, as he took out 13 troops and wounded many more, an act which the US government still considers something other than terrorism.  

So not surprisingly the Congress is currently where the people are on Syria.  Now, if suddenly a bunch of votes start changing at the last minute it will be interesting to see whether a new round of Obamacase-like deal making is going on, such as on the debt ceiling, immigration or Obamacare.  Will our Congress, with an approval rating in the single digits, altogether chant "what difference, at this point, does it make" and stoop to bargaining over a war resolution so long as they bring home some bacon?  We await the outcome.  At least the all-important Oval Office speech about the all-important and dire situation in Syria won't interrupt Monday Night Football.  Whew, that would be tragic.