Washington Watch: "The Syrian Two-Step"

President Barack Obama talks with advisors in the Oval Office, Sept. 10, 2013.
 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Syrian Stepping

Putin is at Step Five.

America -- the media, most of the politicians, and the people, are at Step Two.

Hopefully, the Administration is at Step 7 or higher. 

Some of you get what I am saying here. Certainly, chess players get it. And checkers players.  And maybe even tic-tac-toe players.

America has been baited into a "needed" response. (Or was Assad baited? Is he the pawn?)

The first delay -- going to Congress (also the right thing to do, whether the President takes their advice or not), was necessary because it would not have been good to have American military strikes while attending the G-20.

And this week...with September 11, would not be good for an American military strike. Delay our side.

Putin's move -- Syria turning in the weapons for international control and destruction.(Maybe). A delay on their side?

What is the endgame?

Again...hopefully the smart people in the Administration, and the military, are making the right moves. I trust that they are.

I think it is good the American people are paying attention to the Syrian situation...even if we can't be sure what is really going on. This is the legacy from Iraq.

Next move?

In the Meantime:

The Government will shut down on September 30th if no budget agreement is reached. (Remember the Sequester?) The GOP wants to vote YET AGAIN to stop Obamacare.

Think Progress:  The Who’s Who Of The Looming Government Shutdown 

ANNIE-ROSE STRASSER ON AUGUST 16, 2013  From the article:

"There is no middle ground for those who want to shut down the government over Obamacare. They want the health law defunded and they don’t care what it takes, and so they have said they will not sign onto a new continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government if it includes funds for Obamacare. In order for the government to remain funded, Congress must pass a CR by September 30."

What will happen with Immigration Reform?

policymic:  Immigration Reform 2013: Why Syria Means It's the Wrong Time

PAUL STERN, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013  From the article:

".... immigration reform may unfortunately languish on the steps of the House until next year, the all-important midterm election year. While this does not spell the absolute end, many representatives will be returning to their campaign trails, forgoing the compromise necessary to pass provisions crucial to the reform bill such as the pathway to citizenship. Instead, the House majority will spend the year playing party politics, focusing on re-election instead of legislating."

There's more as listed by Ms. Melissa Harris-Perry of MSNBC in her article: Welcome back Congress. Here’s your to-do list. She sums it up:

"For a group of men and women notorious for gridlock and inaction, Congress has a lot on its plate when it returns to session Sept. 9 after a five-week recess. Even before President Obama began aggressively lobbying for congressional approval to launch military strikes in Syria, the list of urgent legislative problems was long and daunting, which means some things have dropped off the radar."

And, oh yeah -- What about jobs and the economy????


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Remembering the victims of 9-11