… Putting aside the substantive policy question of whether we should or should not punish Syria for its apparent use of chemical weapons with a surgical and proportionate attack–and there are plenty of meritorious arguments on both sides of that question–what if he just changed his mind? Are president’s allowed to second-guess themselves and change their minds if they conclude that a previous or tentative decision was made in error? …
Even if he never should have made the red-line stand last year, does that obligate him to act on it if there is growing evidence that at least half of the public as well as some of our closest allies do not support it? [cont.]
Charlie Cook
Recent polls: Syria