http://www.crisisgro...ia-statement.aspx

It pooh-poohs the benefits of making Assad think twice before using sarin again, and has a pie-in-the-sky view of a negotiated settlement at this time, IMHO.

Pushing for a political settlement is good and necessary and the right ultimate outcome. But neither side is interested in that now. The opposition is too divided and too infiltrated with terrorists. Hizbollah, Iran, and Israel (and many of the Gulf States) have their own agendas that don't include a negotiated settlement. Without a huge push from outside powers, that isn't going to change. And with that being the reality, changing the calculations that Assad's regime makes in whether or not to use chemical weapons is a good thing. IMHO.

(via Klein's WonkBlog - http://www.washingto...he-syrian-people/ )

http://www.state.gov...013/08/213668.htm

So what do we really know that we can talk about? Well, we know that the Assad regime has the largest chemical weapons program in the entire Middle East. We know that the regime has used those weapons multiple times this year and has used them on a smaller scale, but still it has used them against its own people, including not very far from where last Wednesday’s attack happened. We know that the regime was specifically determined to rid the Damascus suburbs of the opposition, and it was frustrated that it hadn’t succeeded in doing so.

[...]

Similarly, Polk pooh-poohs the claims that Kerry makes above. http://www.theatlant...liam-polk/279255/

Skepticism of the evidence that the US Government presents is appropriate. But treating this sarin attack in Syria as being the same as the run-up to war with Iraq under Bush is insane, IMHO.

While MSF has to be careful about what they say about what they know about what has happened in Syria to have access to the injured - http://www.doctorswi...cat=press-release - they do say:

On August 24, MSF announced that three hospitals it supplies in Syria’s Damascus governorate had reportedly received 3,600 patients displaying neurotoxic symptoms, of which 355 died. Although our information indicates mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent, MSF clearly stated that scientific confirmation of the toxic agent was required, and therefore called for an independent investigation to shed light on what would constitute, if confirmed, a massive and unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law.

MSF also stated that in its role as an independent medical humanitarian organization, it was not in a position to determine responsibility for the event. Now that an investigation is underway by United Nations inspectors, MSF rejects that our statement be used as a substitute for the investigation or as a justification for military action. MSF's sole purpose is to save lives, alleviate the suffering of populations torn by Syrian conflict, and bear witness when confronted with a critical event, in strict compliance with the principles of neutrality and impartiality.

This isn't Curveball - II "Chemical Boogaloo".

FWIW.

Cheers,
Scott.
(Who is a little concerned that McCain is on-board, though...)