The Guardian reported that Russia is calling for an independent investigation by United Nations experts into allegations that the Syrian government carried out a deadly chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of Damascus.
This is significant because Moscow has frequently been a roadblock (along with China) for any action by the U.N. on stopping some of the violent excesses of the Bashar al-Assad led government.
Meanwhile, the NY Timesreported that the White House is deliberating over what to do, with options ranging from a cruise missile strike to a more sustained air campaign against Syria.
The question is: Will there be any punitive measures taken against the Syrian government if it's determined that it was responsible for this? Lord knows that many of the rebels opposing al-Assad aren't good guys — some of them are absolutely aligned with Al Qaeda. And it still needs to be determined if the chemical weapons were actually deployed. So there's a need for a thorough investigation. But what if in fact, Assad has done this. Does the world quietly stand by? I'm just asking, before somebody accuses me of putting American lives in danger. We wouldn't do that anyway, by the way — there will not be any troops landing in Syria, probably ever. But the U.S. did intervene in Bosnia and Kosovo in the '90s (somewhat controversially), but that was pre-Iraq.
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This is the last weekend before the next Tuesday's St. Pete primary election. After Rick Kriseman touted a big endorsement yesterday, Mayor Bill Foster blasted him last night for, literally, not being invested enough in St. Petersburg.
I was part of a group of reporters who sat down with Heritage Foundation head Jim DeMint on Wednesday night. The former South Carolina senator is now halfway though a tour of the South and midwest, arguing for the impossible — that the House should defund Obamacare, or stop funding the government next month. Although he admitted that such a vote wouldn't change a damn thing in the Senate, thus he has absolutely no basis in reality.
And speaking of next week's election in St. Pete, check out our piece in this week's CL highlighting both the mayor's race as well as the three City Council contests.