I am PROUD of our President.

[Faryn Balyncd]

While I strongly disagree that a strike on Syria would be either a wise or efficacious action, the President's decision to take the matter to Congress is an important positive turning point.

He is a magnificent President, and today reminds how proud I am to have supported and worked for his election.



He is a President who has had the honesty to acknowledge that he cannot accomplish our goals without our active support, even when that support is in the form of criticism:

"Your job is to hold my feet to the fire. . . So, you need to be out there everyday raising these issues, telling us when we’re doing the right or wrong thing. . . My role is to be President of the United States. . . "



http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/12/01/a-foot-in-two-worlds/

We now need to hold Congress's feet to the fire, and force our representatives to not embark on another tragic misadventure.


Despite our differences on the wisdom of embarking on U.S. military action in Syria, our President NEEDS us to do our job. . . . to hold his, and Congresses feet to the fire . . . . to stop an unwise war . . . . to create an option to the horrible corner into which we find ourselves painted.


And if we do our jobs, and force our representatives to reject an tragic misadventure, it will make his job easier.

[NuclearDem]

2. It's really fucking rich to hear this sycophantic praise

Coming from the people who accuse the anti-intervention crowd here of not giving a shit about chemical weapons and dead children.

There wouldn't have been a fucking call for Congress to vote on it if the public here hadn't put the pressure on or Parliament hadn't so resoundingly said no.

I'm proud of the peace purists who so vocally have said no to intervention only to allow the president and other elected officials to take the credit.

[leftstreet]

4. +1 Full credit goes to the Peace Purist Puritans!

I added 'Puritan' because I've seen that here, too

[David__77]

17. Puristanis.

Go back to Puristan! These "pure" talking points from the pro-war crowd were pretty entertaining.

[UtahLib]

3. I am proud of him, too.

It's sad to witness the fact that some, being so invested in their disapproval of the President, absolutely refuse to give credit and support where credit and support are warranted.

[Hutzpa]

5. Yes, we all are

our task now is to bombard Congress with everything we have, emails, telephones and fax to let them know how we feel about
sending our troops to another dumb war.

[sibelian]

6. Ugh. Yeah, NOTHING to do with the UK's non-involvement.

Pah.

[sabrina 1]

7. I am proud of the American people who made their opinions loud and clear

about this insane idea that we are the policeman of the world.

And I AM proud that the President we elected listened to the voices who expressed grave concerns about the Executive Branch making decisions as important as this, alone.

The balance of powers is not just important, without it, as we said when it was Bush claiming unitary executive powers, we do not live in a monarchy.

Watching democracy at work in Britain's Parliament for hours on Thursday caused people to wonder why this wasn't happening in the US.

And now it is up to the people to give the President the out he needs to end this notion of military action in Syria.

Let's see if our Reps respond to the people they way Britain's finally did last week.

[David Krout]

8. Proud because he did what he's supposed to do?

I do what I'm supposed to do in my job. Are you proud of me? Am I magnificent?

[Cha]

11. Yeah, some people get to be proud of President Obama and all

your whining about it.. isn't going to change it.

[LittleBlue]

19. This clearly goes on his "accomplishments" list

In other news, I didn't miss a day of work last week. So proud of myself! #accomplishment

[libdem4life]

9. While I'm thankful and this is the correct response, it's disturbing a 4th grade Civics question

had to become an international breath-holding moment.

[Faryn Balyncd]

13. Yes

[scarletwoman]

10. Why? Because he realized he'd better cover his ass when the world didn't jump on his "bomb Syria"

bandwagon?

[Cha]

12. He's masterful.

He made his case for why he thinks assad should be held accountable and now "Let's Have the Debate"!

thanks Faryn

[lunatica]

14. There's no good outcome here

damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. That's the nature of today's world, especially in the Middle East.

[onethatcares]

15. and I would rather

having him cover his ass than be covering troops with body bags.

[lunatica]

16. Which seems to be what he's doing.

But I can't help think of the dictators who were ignored when they committed crimes against humanity and in the end, after hundreds of thousands, if not millions of deaths and major wars were stopped because it was no longer expedient to ignore their crimes.

There is something to be said about learning from history. When did a dictator or despot ever stop torturing and killing out of love for their compatriots? The answer is never.

[onethatcares]

20. the history of the United States

many times shows us supporting those self same dictators and despots.

It's kind of like reading another thread on Bandar Bush and wondering just how far the involvement goes in all of this mid east tragedy.

I am not speaking of people like Hitler or Mussolini, but of Noriegas, Shahs, Pinochets.

As a country we have a tendency to turn a blind eye to those that can turn our corporate heads a profit.

[David__77]

18. I'm not proud.

Although it does make me wonder if he never had any intent in engaging militarily with Syria, but rather somehow using this as a political tactic to neutralize the domestic opposition (Republicans). I have no clue. But on the surface it still looks like a total mess and nonsense.

What IS good is that there is time and means to help prevent Obama from making the terrible mistake of intervening.

[tblue]

21. I wonder what Congress is going to do.

I'm very nervous. Hoping for the best.

[Snowfield]

23. here is a clue whatCongress will do: Nancy Pelosi the hawk tells President Obama to act on Syria

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/nancy-pelosi-barack-obama-syria-96065.html

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pressed top administration officials Thursday night to take military action to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad in response to reports that he used chemical weapons in his nation’s ongoing civil war.

“It is clear that the American people are weary of war. However, Assad gassing his own people is an issue of our national security, regional stability and global security,” Pelosi said in a statement after the 90-minute conference call with members of the National Security Council and 26 high-ranking lawmakers.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/nancy-pelosi-barack-obama-syria-96065.html#ixzz2daM8iJAa

-----------------------------------------------

lapdogs for empire, pushing an utter lie, yet another sordid false flag in a long list perpetrated by the USA to start up another murderous war

[Faryn Balyncd]

24. Leader Pelosi needs a full scale revolt. And she needs to be replaced.

[tblue]

25. I agree with your emoticons.

She disappoints. I will let her office know she's losing me. What happened to this party???

[freedom fighter jh]

22. Did he say he'd abide by what they say?

I heard him say he believes he has the authority to act without them. Yes, he said he go to them -- but if they don't give him the authorization he wants, he didn't say -- at least that I could hear -- that he won't act anyway.

Note that Congress is on recess until 9/9. President Obama said he had consulted with Congressional leaders, but he did not mention that he had asked, or that those leaders had offered, to cut short the recess to deal with this important matter. He said they had agreed to schedule discussions.

He may act before they get back, or after they're back but before they've settled on anything, or even in defiance of them should they refuse to authorize a strike. At least that's what it sounded like to me.

[Peregrine Took]

26. "The buck stops here!" LOL n/t

[morningfog]

27. I am not proud of him. I think this war that he is desparately trying to find legal grounds for

is a mistake, a disaster and a war crime. Congressional approval cannot make this legal under international law. Going to Congress is a move he was forced into because this is a dreadfully unpopular move around the world and within this country.

[Skip Intro]

28. So he's an innocent bystander to his own actions and policies?

And we should support him by demanding congress oppose him thereby making things better for him, because it is, after all, all about him.

Ridiculousness only surpassed by over-the-top hero-worship.

Sorry to be so blunt but damn, you laid it on pretty thick.