Picking Sides Means You're In the Game

From the Washington Times yesterday:

A Syrian opposition coalition on Thursday condemned a video that purportedly shows rebels executing seven soldiers loyal to President Bashar Assad.

The video, obtained by The New York Times, shows armed fighters believed to be members of the rebel group Jund al-Sham standing over seven shirtless men kneeling face-down before them. The men then are shot in the head. The hands of five victims are tied behind their bare backs, which show signs of torture.

This response reported in the Washington Times is to the widespread publication of this video:

http://www.nytimes.com/video/2013/09/05/multimedia/100000002421671/syrian-rebels-execute-7-soldiers.html?ref=middleeast&smid=tw-nytimes?ref=middleeast&smid=tw-nytimes?ref=middleeast&smid=tw-nytimes?ref=middleeast&smid=tw-nytimes?ref=middleeast&smid=tw-nytimes

Last night Chris Hayes aired an exceptionally good interview with Secretary of State Kerry, who made the administration's argument, that the point of sending missiles into Syria is to enforce a world sanction on chemical weapons. Later, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson told Hayes that the reason there is a moderately successful world ban on chemical weapons is primarily because the weapons don't work very well. He speaks as a career military man, as the long-time lieutenant to General Colin Powell, as a tenured professor of military history at William and Mary.

Prognosticators at the moment (Friday morning) suggest that it is unlikely that Congress will approve the administration's course of action in Syria. Mr. Rumsfeld said yesterday that "our so-called leader" isn't leading.

Let us hope that if Congress does manage to reject Mr. Obama's suggestions, Mr. Obama will accept that judgment and renew efforts at bringing all parties to the table. There is no answer other than negotiation.