The lonely president
President Barack Obama had hoped for a quick, convincing strike on Syria, but growing opposition and Great Britain's stunning rejection of the attack has thrust him into the uncomfortable position of go-it-alone hawk.
Just how Obama, whose career sprung from the ashes of George W. Bush's Iraq policy, got to this extraordinary moment in his presidency is a tale of good intentions, seat-of-the-pants planning and, above all, how a cautious commander-in-chief became imprisoned by a promise.
Obama seems likely to bull ahead with air attacks despite an impact and popularity that will be, at best, limited - an unsavory outcome marginally better than packing up his Tomahawks and going home, which would deal a humbling blow to U.S. prestige and embolden the Assad regime.
It's a dilemma first-term Obama - who warned author Bob Woodward in 2010 that "once the dogs of war are unleashed, you don't know where [they are] going to lead" - was careful to avoid.
(Also on POLITICO: White House offers Hill no timetable on Syria strike)
But second-term Obama, tethered to his August 2012 "red line" pronouncement on Assad's use of chemical weapons and eager to shed his lead-from-behind image, now runs "the risk of looking weak any way this turns out," in the words of one former adviser who cited the limited impact of any missiles-only strike.
"Obama's caution has served him well in the past, but he's completely abandoned it, and he's paying for it now," said Daniel Kurtzer, who served as Bill Clinton's ambassador to Egypt and George W. Bush's ambassador to Israel.
"On two occasions, the rhetoric has gotten ahead of the policy-making process. Once when the president talked about chemical weapons being a game changer and a red line," Kurtzer said. "Then [this week] when Obama and [Secretary of State John] Kerry made remarks that point clearly in the direction of some kind of military action - even though he hasn't decided what he's going to do and he hasn't found a coalition."
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