Some folks say the recent diplomatic breakthrough was the result of a gaffe by Kerry? Bullshit.

[Cali_Democrat]

Funny how the hair-on-fire crowd says it was nothing more than a gaffe which was seized on by Vladamir Putin.

Not so Much.

The Kremlin even admits that a proposal along these lines was discussed at the G20, before Kerry's so-called "gaffe".

Putin, Obama discussed Syria arms control idea last week: Kremlin

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the idea of placing Syria's chemical weapons arsenal under international control on the sidelines of a G20 summit last week, Putin's spokesman said on Tuesday.

"The issue was discussed," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said by telephone. He would not say who raised the issue or give other details.

Russia announced its proposal to put Syrian chemical weapons under international control on Monday. Hours earlier, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid a U.S. military strike by surrendering all his chemical weapons within a week but added that Assad "isn't about to do it and it can't be done".

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/10/us-syria-crisis-russia-usa-idUSBRE9890I020130910

The Obama Administration continues to make the hair-on-fire crowd look foolish. Yesterday this crowd was convinced that it was nothing more than a gaffe by Kerry and he just pulled it out of his ass.

What will the spin be today?

[cthulu2016]

1. Some critical thinking and reading skills would help you a lot.

You seem to have trouble differentiating concepts like "discussed" and "agreed upon."

[LittleBlue]

2. +1

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Oh man am I enjoying this

It's clear some folks have absolutely no clue how diplomacy works.

That's why it's important to leave this job up to the folks who know how to do it rather than anonymous posters on the interwebz pounding away furiously on their keyboards.

[cthulu2016]

10. If your OP was meant to demonstrate that some

have absolutely no clue how diplomacy works, you succeeded. Irrefutably.

[Cali_Democrat]

11. Ya, I was referring to you.

Believe it or not, proposals are discussed before they are officially agreed upon. Funny how that works, ain't it?

[uponit7771]

3. FACTS SUCK!!! /sarcasm <---cause that's needed here

[Pretzel_Warrior]

4. Today's talking points? Your propaganda won't work

That is all they got. Empty name calling and Putin worship.

[shenmue]

9. Call everything propaganda!

How to Make a Bad Argument, step #437.

[Marr]

12. Again with the "Putin worship".

It's juvenile.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

22. so are charges of Obama worship. deal with it.

[Cali_Democrat]

23. They can dish it, but they certainly can't take it. n/t

[Pretzel_Warrior]

24. hopefully now they realize the entire premise of my setup post on Putin now

it will never get old.

[leftstreet]

6. 'Some folks say' LOL automatic fail n/t

[shenmue]

7. Oh noes!

Someone else was right for once!!!1!!1

There are some people who just can't remove the stick from their butts. Can't admit that maybe Sec. Kerry did a good job.

It's fun to be on the right side this afternoon.

[Bobbie Jo]

8. RW'ers are parroting this line as well. nt

[joeybee12]

13. The spin today? You're already providing it...

Thanks for the laughs.

[Marr]

14. Why does it have to be one or the other?

Such a solution may well have been discussed on some level at the G20, and dismissed as unfeasible by the Obama Administration. They certainly didn't seem to be pushing for such a solution in the days leading up to Putin's comments, and the scrambled way they first tried to walk back Kerry's comments make it seem like that was not their plan.

To say that this was all a brilliant scheme by the Obama Administration-- that they planned this progression that made them look like fools for an extended period of time-- it just strains credulity.

I don't think they're villains or fools, but I don't think they're a bunch of omniscient masters of chess, either.

By the way, under the story you're choosing to believe... don't you feel a bit punked? I mean, the same people who are now insisting this was all just a brilliant ruse were actively rationalizing war just a matter of hours ago.

[rhett o rick]

15. "Some folks say....." And I say "Strawman". nm

[Cali_Democrat]

19. ...

http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10023632716

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023630669

Yep...and it's not just posters in those threads. Plenty of folks saying it was a gaffe, including many right wingers.

[rhett o rick]

25. So "Andrew Sullivan" says.......

[Cali_Democrat]

26. Read the replies in the threads.

[Capt. Obvious]

16. Obama works in mysterious ways

[CakeGrrl]

17. Eh, let 'em spin and get dizzy.

Next thing you know, they'll be saying stuff like "I agree with Sarah Palin - let Allah sort 'em out!"

[Savannahmann]

18. Yes, this was the plan all the way right?

But there be a rub. http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023562247

We posted time and time again here how the British betrayed Obama. http://www.businessinsider.com/syria-britain-david-cameron-vote-house-commons-chemical-weapons-2013-8

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/30/world/europe/syria-uk-debate-roundup/index.html?iref=allsearch

Then we talked about how the White House was feeling betrayed by the actions of the UK. Hardly the response we would expect if this was the end result.

Face it, this was a gaffe that stumbled into the only logical conclusion, the one that the Administration had ruled out instead focusing on punishing Assad for CW use. http://news.yahoo.com/britain-says-no-syria-intervention-u-considers-actions-003349017.html

Cheer for the brilliance of a multi-dimensional chess player if you want, but right now, that's Putin. Because as I predicted, he's introducing a resolution into the UN Security Council for this action, and calling on the world to rule out Military Action. Are we going to Veto that resolution and look like thugs or are we going to embrace the diplomatic solution?

• Russia will propose a U.N. draft declaration backing an initiative to put Syrian chemical weapons under international control, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told France that its own draft resolution holding the Syrian government responsible for the use of chemical weapons is "unacceptable."

• Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States and its allies should "pledge to renounce the use of force" as world powers work to deal with the Syrian chemical weapons issue. "It is difficult to make any country -- Syria or any other country in the world -- to unilaterally disarm if there is military action against it under consideration," he told Russian TV on Tuesday.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/10/world/meast/syria-developments/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Assad stays, and isn't to be punished under the reported UN Resolution that we oppose at the risk of looking like a warmongering bunch of lunatics. Call it a win for Obama if you want, but the facts all point to a different read. A win for the world who wanted peace, and rejected the escalation of military tensions to a point not seen since October 1962.

[ananda]

20. By reading between the lines, it could be inferred that ...

... this was Obama's idea and that Putin is being allowed to take the credit.

[grahamhgreen]

21. HAHAHA! If that were true, he would have started the process years ago;)