Can we remember for a minute why Kerry said what he said?

[Proud Public Servant]

No, I'm not going to revisit "rhetorical." I mean this crystal-clear clarification from State Department spokesperson Jennifer Psaki:

His [Kerry's] point was that this brutal dictator with a history of playing fast and loose with the facts cannot be trusted to turn over chemical weapons, otherwise he would have done so long ago. That’s why the world faces this moment.

So, to recap:

1) An exhausted Kerry, in a blatant violation of spokespersoning 101, uses sarcasm at the podium.

2) State walks it back by saying, pont blank, that Bashad cannot be trusted to turn over his chemical weapons.

3) Putin -- Putin! -- says, "nah, you can trust him. I'll help."

4) Now this is the plan: we're doing to trust the guy we said unequivocally cannot be trusted because now the deal's being brokered by his sugardaddy, a world-class human rights violator we know we can't trust.

I hope it works, I really do. But anyone who thinks this was nth-dimensional chess rather than diplomatic amateur hour coupled with sheer, stupid luck is dreaming.

[el_bryanto]

1. I have to agree - I hope it does work

But to pretend there's some sort of master plan is pretty blind.

Bryant

[B2G]

2. He also said it was 'impossible' to do

I guess desperate times call for impossible measures, eh?

What a cluster.

[Schema Thing]

3. And it all just fell together in a 3 hour span yesterday

Right. Got it.

[Mass]

4. May be, may be not.

But I guess you can read minds? Because in my experience what a spokeperson (Psaki) says is what they want you to believe at a specific time, nothing more.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

5. I started a thread that voiced similar thoughts.

So far, I've been accused of being a Freeper, of not being a liberal, of being upset/angry/panicked that Obama isn't starting a war, and so on. Some posters want to turn it into a personal issue.

[cali]

6. to think this was some brilliant plan

you have to really tie yourself in knots.

I hope it works too and I'm relieved that the President can move away from a politically damaging vote on the Hill. I'm glad that there's some workable breathing space.

[wandy]

7. Russia has a definite interest in Syria. It just might be that............

Putin decided that chemical warfare in an ongoing civil war does not serve that interest.
I suspect that if the rebel hoards were not such bloodthirsty wackjobs Russia might go further in getting rid of Assad.

Who knows Putin may find a friend in Syria.
Much to the disappoint of the M.I.C. the roll of the US may only be to pass the popcorn.

[NYC_SKP]

8. What matters is that it work, not chess or non chess.

It's amazing where people's priorities lay when there is so much carnage at stake.