Maybe the plan is....not to attack..is that possible?

[Stuart G]

Talk about it, threaten, but in the end, no. Perhaps Putin can get rid of Assad, quietly... And maybe that will be it. Just a thought. Maybe....

[Harmony Blue]

1. They are serious about it

because reading between the lines it is about sending a message (Iran).

[Stuart G]

2. I agree they are very serious about this.

Yes, but just maybe, the extra time, for whatever reason, could be to get Putin to get rid of Assad. Putin could do that, but I know it is not likely. It sure would look good for Putin if bombing were averted and some sort of coalition were established in Syria to transition into something else.

[Harmony Blue]

7. Putin will let the Americans do all the work

and just like the Chinese will swoop right in and take the bounty like happened in Iraq. I have seen this play out way too many times for it to be a coincidence.

[blm]

12. I think it could very well be a way to get Assad on the same page as US and Russia

And where they were BEFORE the chemical attacks.

http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-lavrov-kerry-geneva/25071543.html

[liberal_at_heart]

13. Congress is hearing from Isreal lobbyists now that they are back in DC.

This I think is the big unknown. Will they try to resolve this issue peacefully or will they give in to other interests who want war?

[Blue Owl]

3. I wondered about that too -- is this just sabre rattling?

n/t

[FSogol]

4. We haven't attacked yet, so that theory is as good as any other.

[Isoldeblue]

5. That would be the perfect resolution

But I doubt that's the plan.
But then, after Obama meets with Putin, plans may change. From what to what, is anyone's guess.

I don't trust Putin. He really doesn't like us.....

[Avalux]

6. I'm beginning to think that's been Obama's plan all along.

I've had a suspicion that there's a lot going on under the surface, and that Obama hasn't turned into a neocon. The end game may be to convince Putin to act.

[Stuart G]

9. I don't think Obama has turned into a neocon

It is what happens in the end that matters. Perhaps there is a lot going under the table as you say. I guess we will find out soon enough, I hope whatever happens that it is over in a very short time.

[MisterP]

8. at the expense of becoming a global laughingstock? of blowing all their political capital

on saying "we'll do this no matter what--HITLERHITLERHITLER"?
by publicly pushing for something with 10-25% approval? through baldfaced lies that fool only the truly lobotomized?

it smells more like the Snowden coverup: they thought they could do it smooth--OWS was crushed, Fox repeated hegemonic ideas even when lambasting the WH, and the ACLU couldn't get anyone to their rallies because "ZOMG what if it helps the GOP?!"
then Morales and Miranda decide to visit Europe and everything breaks loose: they bungle and botch EVERYTHING so badly that two whole continents start phoning Washington
their foot soldiers became deranged: those who once wrote paragraphs in defense of the NDAA were reduced to howling "it's because of racism" and "I hope next time they blow up the plane"
these patterns are all recurring now with Syria

[Jefferson23]

10. I had hoped so too, after Obama gave this to the Congress. After listening to Kerry, they

seem to be serious...I hope they don't do it and find a way out.

[99Forever]

11. The War Pigs are...

... hungry, sanity is not an option.

11th dimensional chess, my ass.

If this happens, Democrats are fucked in elections for the foreseeable future.

[HereSince1628]

14. STM, in the world of serious real consequences "they" have/had to be ready to actually bomb Syria

I am quite sure that the Syrians believe that.

The worst thing for the world would be for the US Administration to be seen by the rest of the world as disingenuous about projection of military force.

Such ambiguity feeds distrust, creates doubt, and forces others with deadly force at their command to defensively guess about what the US administration -really- means. The result would be that interpretations guided by bias would substitute for reality.

Two sides guessing what the other will do makes international confrontations more dangerous. Gambling with the lives of dictators, enemy forces, and domestic and foreign civilians isn't football. You don't get whistles, yellow flags and a chance to replay a dead battalion's, or a destroyed neighborhood's lives. It isn't chess of any number of dimensions, or 5 card Stud. You can't reset the board or get another deal with dead peoples' lives to have another go at it.