John Kerry's Extremely Unconvincing Case for Syria Attack
Whether you're worried about getting attacked by the United States military or you're worried about authorizing a military attack that could spiral out of control, Secretary of State John Kerry has a message for you (emphasis added):
“We will be able to hold [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad accountable without engaging in troops on the ground or any other prolonged kind of effort in a very limited, very targeted, short-term effort that degrades his capacity to deliver chemical weapons without assuming responsibility for Syria’s civil war,” Kerry said during an appearance with British Foreign Secretary William Hague, according to The Guardian. “That is exactly what we are talking about doing – unbelievably small, limited kind of effort.”
So, if you're Bashar Assad, it's time to relax, because this attack, if it comes, will be "unbelievably small." And if you're a war-weary American who doesn't want to see your country get drawn into yet another conflict in the Middle East, you should also chill out because this will be a "limited kind of effort."
Of course, not everybody is happy with this. Bill Kristol, who supports attacking Syria (duh),slammed Kerry for not pushing for something bigger. And on the flip side, Kerry's words don't really address one of the biggest concerns about moving forward with an attack: What would happen if this "unbelievably small, limited kind of effort" failed to achieve its stated goal of stopping Assad from using chemical weapons again?
