Well, it looks as though the United States of America is going to enter the Syria conflict after all.
Congress likely will approve President Obama’s request for authorization to train and equip “moderate” Syrian rebels as they prepare to take on the Islamic State — and the government forces led by Bashar al-Assad.
Yes, it will come with some complaints from both sides of the aisle.
Obama was right to ask for authorization. Congress is right to grant it.
Is it the right call to equip the rebels? That remains to be seen.
The Syrian civil war is getting complicated in the extreme. We don’t yet know fully who the “good guys” are in this fight. We’ve identified some definite evil forces — two of whom are fighting each other. ISIL is battling the government led by the dictator. We hate the dictator, but we hate ISIL even more, given the gruesome murders the terrorists have committed against two American journalists and a British aid worker.
I remain concerned deeply about whether we should send in troops while bombing the daylights out of ISIL military positions in Iraq. That discussion has been broached by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey, who today said he’d consider sending in special ops forces if the need arose, pending approval by the commander in chief, Barack Obama.
Congress has a role to play here. Its members need to sign on and take ownership of a conflict that is beginning to take on the look of a new war.
Heaven help us.