Iran is threatening reprisals if Obama strikes Syria and so the question quickly becomes, what will Obama do (or say he'll do) if they carry out these threats:
The U.S. has intercepted an order from Iran to militants in Iraq to attack the U.S. Embassy and other
American interests in Baghdad in the event of a strike on Syria, officials said, amid an expanding array of reprisal threats across the region.
Military officials have been trying to predict the range of possible responses from Syria, Iran and their allies. U.S. officials said they are on alert for Iran's fleet of small, fast boats in the Persian Gulf, where American warships are positioned. U.S. officials also fear Hezbollah could attack the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
While the U.S. has moved military resources in the region for a possible strike, it has other assets in the area that would be ready to respond to any reprisals by Syria, Iran or its allies.
Those deployments include a strike group of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and three destroyers in the Red Sea, and an amphibious ship, the USS San Antonio, in the Eastern Mediterranean, which would help with any evacuations.
All well and good but is Obama fully prepared for all potentialities?
Putin escalated concerns about the fallout from any strike when he indicated in an interview published Wednesday that his country could send Syria and its neighbors in the region the components of a missile shield if the U.S. attacks.
U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified this week that the Russians might even replace any military assets the U.S. destroys in a strike.
The warnings raise the possibility of a supposedly "limited" strike on Syria turning into a proxy tit-for-tat between Russia and the U.S.
All of which goes back to Obama's idiotic decision to draw a red line. It's become so much less about valid or invalid reasons for striking Syria and so much more about saving face... saving Obama's face.
Helluva a reason to go to war.
All the more reason to give way to the Pope's guidance as communicated via his last tweet:
All men and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace. #prayforpeace
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) September 6, 2013
Lord, grant wisdom, wisdom that leads to a lasting peace, to all involved in making decisions about this Syrian situation. Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.
