Red-Line Follies Sorting the mistakes from the fiascos on Syria.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/05/06/red_line_follies_barack_obama_syria

Red-Line Follies

Sorting the mistakes from the fiascos on Syria.

BY DAVID ROTHKOPF | MAY 6, 2013

There is so much wrong with the current "red-line" mess with Syria that a little sorting out is in order. It has gotten to the point that you can't tell which fiasco you are talking about without a scorecard.

In the first instance, of course, there is the self-inflicted wound element of the problem, as reported in Sunday's New York Times. Apparently, according to the paper, the president's initial use of the term "red line" was an ill-considered bit of rhetorical muscle-flexing on his part. Since the president is the font from which all policy flows, it can hardly be called freelancing, but it was something close, making policy with a slip of the lip and less reflection on consequences than is truly desirable.