This Syria Affair

I am so tired of hearing these talking heads making hay out of this Syrian affair that I want to scream. My undergraduate major at the University of Kentucky was diplomatic history. I have a good idea how diplomacy works. That the so-called media experts can’t look below the overt and see what has been going on behind the scenes is absurd.

Let’s fantasize a bit and look at this scenario:

The scene: the 2013 G-20 summit in St. Petersburg. It is between sessions. Pres. Obama and Pres. Putin meet “informally.”

Obama: Neither one of us wants the United States to attack Syria. How about this plan. Since Syria is a longtime Russian ally, you will suggest to Pres. Assad that Syria give up its chemical weapons making a U.S. attack unnecessary  That will solve the problem 100%.

Putin: I like the idea. I can take credit for preventing United States attack. Right?

Obama: Right!!!!!!!!

If you need me to spell it out: the threat of a missile attack on Syria is President Obama’s negotiating point—the big stick. All of the hoopla about the attack over the past two weeks was to convince the Syrians that the threat is real. Do you understand?