Obama's Strange Silence on Syria
President Obama said in his speech one year back that Syria would cross a red line if it opted for attacks using chemical weapons. It will be interesting to see if Mr President still feels the same way.
Josh Earnest, a spokesman for the White House, has informed that America was "appalled" as the "horrifying" reports came from Syria. Mr Earnest asked the Assad regime to work together with the UN norms. On the other hand, Obama is yet to say anything on the issue.
Nevertheless, Mr Earnest was asked by the reporters at the press conference if the president was expected to say anything on the issue. It was informed that the president would put America first while weighing decisions regarding the domestic as well as foreign policies.
The president is presently on a bus tour to promote the lowering of costs of higher education. Mr Earnest added that the tour itself proved that the president had not shied away from disclosing what his priorities are. The diplomatic reply for the White House spokesman may mean that the president is in no mood to talk on the issue. It also means that the "thick red line" is getting even thicker for Mr President. This was another occasion when it was improbable to fathom the approach of the US administration.
The chief military adviser of the president has, meanwhile, cancelled a news conference which was already planned earlier. It is assumed that he might have cancelled the news conference as he was more absorbed in knowing the updates of Syrian unrest. However, this assumption has been put to test as Gen Dempsey made it clear in the recent letter he sent to one congressman that he did not believe that it was desirable to take military.
On the other hand, President Obama may be blamed for being indecisive on the issue. When he gave the fiery speech last year, it was presumed that U.S. would not hesitate to act against any issue that violated humanity. However, the strange silence on his part is difficult to justify.