I think it is more logical to assume that this is a legitimate temporary delay and perhaps a final solution which was worked out by Putin and Obama at the G-20 Summit. Kerry was assigned to announce it, complete with the public admission that it would satisfy the US. Then, also by script, the White House danced a bit to reduce the level of excitement and give the Russians time to get started on the details. We cannot steal their thunder now and have anyone think it was really our solution.
Syria would never allow their vast chemical weapons stash to be turned over to international authorities, but they might allow monitors to "stand by" at weapon's sites. The problem with that is there are many weapons sites and the Syrians want them to be kept secret. If the Russians are able to broker an agreement for international monitoring, Putin will be seen as the strong hero and Obama the weaker of the two. Putin would be a lock for the next Nobel Peace Prize. This costs us some valuable "world points", but that's a small price. What we gain at the very least is a lengthy delay in the crisis confrontation. Maybe even a long enough delay that the Syria retaliatory strike becomes a moot point.
I'd love to know who thought of this. It's rather brilliant. Maybe a Congressman who was sweating bullets about Thursday's vote, which was just cancelled in the Senate. Not because he/she cared about the result, but because everyone would know how they voted and the Washington pecking order could be disturbed. So Congress wins. Obama also wins because he was really in a no-win situation if he lost the congressional vote.
About the only thing we end up losing in the end is the fact that we failed as a nation, and a world, to respond with action to the senseless slaughter of civilians. This time it was with chemical weapons which we had a treaty with scores of other nations never to accept. Oh well, we've broken lots of treaties before (see: Native Americans), and we've let warmongers everywhere kill millions of civilians in most brutally senseless ways. And none of that seems to matter to a lot of folks today.
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