DITHER OBAMA

NORMAN PODHORETZ: Is Obama Wrecking Our Foreign Policy On Purpose? “The president may look incompetent on Syria. But his behavior fits his strategy to weaken America abroad.” Well, we’re certainly seeing fundamental transformation.

ROGER KIMBALL: Fundamentally Transforming The United States of America. “Remember when candidate Barack Obama promised his acolytes that they were only ‘five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America’? That was back in October 2008, when the hectic flush of Obamamania was at its peak. To be fair, it’s took a bit longer than five days, but here we are, five years into the most destructive presidency in the country’s history and we can see that fundamental transformation at work just about everywhere.”

WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: The Constitution, the Sour Spot, and the Great Syria Train Wreck. “During his time in the White House, President Obama has repeatedly demonstrated a style of decision making that gets him in trouble. Especially when the stakes are high and the issue is complex, the President overthinks himself and tries to split the difference between tough policy choices. He comes up with stratagems that work beautifully on paper and offer well reasoned, moderate alternatives to stark choices. Unfortunately, they usually don’t work all that well in the real world, with the President repeatedly ending up in the ‘sour spot’ where his careful approaches don’t get him where he needs to go. This style of strategy is what’s boxed him in and tied him in knots over Syria. “

ROGER SIMON NO LONGER FAVORS AN ATTACK ON SYRIA: “I overlooked — or more exactly chose to ignore — the obvious. We would be going to war with a blind man as our commander-in-chief. And I don’t mean a physically blind man like the Japanese samurai Zatoichi, whose heroic exploits were magnificent despite his infirmity, if you remember the film series. I mean a morally, psychologically and ideologically blind man incapable of coherent policy, action or even much logical thought on any matter of significance, let alone on such a crucial one with life and death at stake.”

OBAMA’S SYRIA LOBBYING CAMPAIGN NOT GOING SO WELL: How Not to Win Over Congress: Sending Susan Rice, on the Benghazi anniversary, to argue for Syria is one of many missteps.

MOE LANE ENDORSES MY SUGGESTION: Attention, Republican legislators: let the Democrats vote FIRST. Yep. Not one Republican in the House or Senate should cast a vote until all the Democrats have voted.

MAUREEN DOWD: In his head, is Barry at war with the commander in chief? But note that she manages to try to blame Bush, too.

ITS ALL ABOUT ‘FEEELINGS’.
WAR AND DOMESTIC POLITICS: The Hill: Fears of wounding Obama weigh heavily on Dems ahead of vote.