There has been lots of talk about President Obama’s controversial “red line” comments in regards to taking action in Syria.
Last month, the President said the following and has since gotten himself into a lot of hot water:
“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.”
It is blatantly clear that these statements were a warning intended to prevent Syria from attempting to use chemical weapons. Unfortunately, like most others, the Syrian government did not take the President or his words very seriously.
They inflicted a chemical attack upon their citizens, killing hundreds of their own people.
Since then, the President has been calling for intervention in Syria, but has been met with resistance from China, Russia, and even Great Britain, who shockingly voted against sending troops to Syria.
Facing yet another political embarrassment, President Backtrack Obama now denies that he was responsible for making such remarks. Instead, in typical Obama fashion, he has cast blame on other. The difference is that this time, instead of blaming George Bush and the GOP, he had the audacity to say his credibility was not on the line and instead pushed it over to Congress and the international community,
“The international community’s credibility is on the line. And America and Congress’ credibility is on the line because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important,” Mr. Obama said at the news conference a day before heading to Russia to attend the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg.
One thing Obama seems not to understand is that in the age of the Internet, you can never lie about something you’ve said once it’s been said publicly.
He is on record making the red line comments, and cannot take them away.
As with most issues, Obama talks a big game but ends up creating a bigger mess, so why should his foreign policy be any different?
The last thing I want is war, but it was undoubtedly foolish of the President to draw a red line in front of the world and not follow through.
The President’s blatant lies about his red line comment illustrate the untrustworthiness of his administration, and are yet another reason why the United States’ relationships with other governments are crumbling.