Syria, Sarin, and Obama

Obama, you have a problem, a BIG problem.

Syria.

From CNN:

The United States has evidence that the chemical weapon sarin has been used in Syria on a small scale, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday.

But numerous questions remain about the origins of the chemical and what impact its apparent use could have on the ongoing Syrian civil war and international involvement in it.

When asked if the intelligence community's conclusion pushed the situation across President Barack Obama's "red line" that could potentially trigger more U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war, Hagel said it's too soon to say.

"We need all the facts. We need all the information," he said. "What I've just given you is what our intelligence community has said they know. As I also said, they are still assessing and they are still looking at what happened, who was responsible and the other specifics that we'll need."

In a letter sent to lawmakers before Hagel's announcement, the White House said that intelligence analysts have concluded "with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin."

In the letter, signed by White House legislative affairs office Director Miguel Rodriguez, the White House said the "chain of custody" of the chemicals was not clear and that intelligence analysts could not confirm the circumstances under which the sarin was used, including the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

...But, the letter said, "we do believe that any use of chemical weapons in Syria would very likely have originated with the Assad regime."

What now, Obama?

From FOX News:

Secretary of State John Kerry further confirmed that there were two documented instances of chemical weapons use.

The assessment is likely to prompt calls for more serious consideration of intervention. President Obama has said the use of chemical weapons would be a "game-changer" in the U.S. position on intervening in the two-year-old Syrian civil war. Obama said last August that "a red line for us" would be the movement or use of chemical weapons, adding "that would change my calculus."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., suggested Thursday the "red line" had been crossed. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also said the assessment is "deeply troubling and, if correct, means that President Obama's red line has certainly been crossed."

Poor Obama.

I don't think he can "lead from behind" in this instance.

Being president is hard. It's not all star-studded soirées at the White House and shuttling around on Air Force One and bowing.
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Obama Is Looking for Reasons to Delay Response to Syria's Chemical Weapons Use