John Kerry, Accidental Genius?

Per this NY Times account, John Kerry's suggestion that Syria could spare tha world a lot of aggro by unilaterally turning over its chemical weapons (a proposal Kerry promptly and premptively poo-poohed as improbable) has picked up Russian support:

[Russian foreign minister] Lavrov appeared at a previously unscheduled briefing only hours after Mr. Kerry made his statement in London, seizing on it as a possible compromise.

“We don’t know whether Syria will agree with this, but if the establishment of international control over chemical weapons in the country will prevent attacks, then we will immediately begin work with Damascus,” Mr. Lavrov said at the Foreign Ministry. “And we call on the Syrian leadership to not only agree to setting the chemical weapons storage sites under international control, but also to their subsequent destruction.”

Mr. Moallem said later in a statement that his government welcomed the Russian proposal, Russia’s Interfax News Agency reported, in what appeared to be the first acknowledgment by the Syrian government that it even possesses chemical weapons. The Syrian government historically has neither confirmed nor denied possessing such weapons.

I don't think Kerry is outsmarting anyone (what's unbelievably small is his common sense), so this might just be an alternative way for Syria to run out the clock as they haggle over terms.

On the other hand, Russia might be looking for a face-saving way to bring Syria a bit closer to international norms, or at least to gracefully distance themselves from them.

And it certainly gives Obama a face-saving excuse to do nothing for a few weeks. Win-win-win!

NOBODY'S FOOL: The Times is all over the four-corner ploy:

Obama administration officials have discussed the idea of presenting Mr. Assad with an ultimatum. But officials are wary of giving the Syrian leader an opportunity to play for time, and carrying out inspections to make sure the Syrian government has not retained hidden stocks of poison gas as fighting rages appeared to be a near impossibility.

LIVE IMPROV WITH J KERRY: From CNN:

But as Russia and Syria later suggested that it could be done, the State Department later sought to clarify Kerry's comment as a "rhetorical argument."

One U.S. official called Kerry's remarks a "major goof," adding that America's top diplomat "clearly went off script."

"There is no one in the administration who is taking this Syria proposal seriously," the official said.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE! Team Obama will study the Russian proposal, Harry Reid will delay the Senate vote, and the diplomats win.  Stephen Hayes explains that Team Obama will insist that it was Obama's forceful resolve that led to this happy talkfest. Uh huh - the threat of an "unbelievably small" attack focused Syrian minds.

Groan. Will it be days, weeks or months before Obama and his press lackeys are telling the world that only Obama's calm patience and steely resolve held off the warmongering Republicans? I think "days".

Comments

[Frau Wiedersprechen]

That was easy!
We've gone from "Dissent is patriotic" to "Dissent is racist."

[narciso]

Now past is prologue, there was a similar dustup involved in Iraq, in February '98,
and Primakov swung that.

[Danube on iPad]

Dead serious, NK.

[narciso]

No, you get nothin;

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/09/10/fiasco-russia-not-enthusiastic-about-un-resolution-on-syria-says-french-fm/

[GMax]

Steve Hayward visitng Professor at U Colorado and full time poster at Powerline, might has well be writing directly to Dana Gilbert Ward:

I think liberals in the tertiary subjects like creative writing are mostly frustrated mediocrities who just can’t help themselves. But really, if you actually want to indoctrinate students, are people like “professor” Penn likely to be very effective at it?

What is the proper descriptive for a professor in a tertiary subject at a third rate backward institution? Mediocrity seems wholly insufficient here.

[Captain Hate on an iPhone]

TK flooding the zone.

[Danube on iPad]

Meanwhile, those four DDG's are still boring holes in the eastern Med. Bet their morale is in the tank.

[dublinDave]

Dot-- if you were serious about not responding to Birther Bait, I'll gladly ignore DD... Gladly.

You couldn't ignore me if you tried, NK. You're so full of shit I guarantee you you'll be mixing it up with ole Dubby before long.

Let's see if you're a man of his word, if you've actually got integrity, or if you'll buckle after a couple of my posts.
You strike me as someone who comes from a long line of men who buckle easily, you'll probably produce another chink in the chain of bucklers.

[narciso]

Yes, where the heck does that leave them, this is like tanker escort duty in '87, yet less focused.

[Porchlight]

"Chink in the chain"? LOL.

[GMax]

This one is going to leave a deep and lasting mark. So much for the Smart Diplomacy:

President Barack Obama’s standing on foreign policy has taken such a hit that the latest Reason-Rupe poll finds 64 percent of Americans, including 68 percent of independents and 41 percent of Democrats, believe President Obama’s handling of foreign policy is worse than, or the same as, former President George W. Bush’s handling of foreign policy.

[MaryM]

This seems on topic.

Quote of the Day from W.J.J. Hoge (where I see Rob C commenting occasionally):

Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished; the others can only be hurt. --William Ernest Hocking

[Captain Hate on an iPhone]

Given dumbassdave's frequent use of ethnic slurs, I didn't know NK was Chinese.

[Captain Hate on an iPhone]

Btw do you think the GOP is capable of learning from Australia and Norway?

[dublinDave]

"Given dumbassdave's frequent use of ethnic slurs, I didn't know NK was Chinese."

I can't make you take a trip to the urban dictionary, gramps, but it's what the kids are into these days.

Wasn't the point of DOT's pledge to stop people responding to my posts? It's not really working. NK is excluded,he's weak -minded and needy, but I thought the rest of you would have banded together.

Remember, if no one responds to my posts then there's no reason for me to keep posting and i'll eventually leave.

[Marko]

The GOP is uneducable.

[Marko]

Can't say exactly why, but I like this:

David Burge ‏@iowahawkblog 17s
College Football halftime scores: Harvard Law School 0, KGB Assassination & Treachery 385

[narciso]

How many shock collars are available,

[NK(tryin')]

CaptH-- careful wuith the Norway stuff-- it's a nation of $5M with $110/Brent windfall, trhe 'Conservatives' want to spend the windfall on infrastructure, rather than mani-peds for seniors. Australia's a much better template.

[NK(tryin')]

.. excuse me 5M people.

[Danube on iPad]

Fox News poll: 40%. Let me repeat that: 40%.

[NK(tryin')]

40%.. good.. good; Good time to bring up Benghazi, ObummerCare, and THEN the Debt Limit. The House Repubs ain't smart, but Obuumer has set things up nicely.

[JIB]

All of this reminds me of a Peter Sellers movie but I can't remember which one:)?

We are cruising at 40K feet on Southwest going back to. Orlando.

Hit, I see from the Southwest magazine there is a World Beer Festival in Durham early October.

BTW, I fully agree with JamesD's rant on challenging the Program/fascist element. My saddest worry is Frederick growing up in a country no longer exceptional for its life, liberty and pursuit of happiness instead an unimaginative socialist hell.

[Danube on iPad]

Now Putin is demanding the U.S. "renounce the use of force."

[NK(tryin')]

Well.... emasculating the USA militarily does serve Russian Imperial interests, and Putin gets to rub Obummer's nose in it further.

[JIB]

DoT,

Way things are going he'll ask for Alaska back and knowing Obama he has a good chance of getting it.

[Captain Hate on an iPhone]

I'm sure Rupert Pupkin will renounce force on his nationally televised whatever. Volodya is so glad that his polonium stocks can remain untouched in dealing with this fraud.

[Captain Hate on an iPhone]

Maybe SP will be able to say she can see Russia from her door.

[jimmyk]

Australia's a much better template.

But wait, the other day you said Australians were more "flexible," or something, so their results didn't count. Norway's had a Labor party government the last eight years and most of the last 80 years.

[Captain Hate on an iPhone]

Yes, jimmyk; Norway's results were at least a baby step to the right.

[Ranger]

Well now Putin has just demanded total capitulation from Barry. The price for Putin's deal is Barry promising not to bomb Assad.

Via Hot Air:

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/09/10/fiasco-russia-not-enthusiastic-about-un-resolution-on-syria-says-french-fm/

Speaking exclusively to RT, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Syria’s chemical arms handover will only work if the US and its allies renounce the use of force against Damascus.

“Certainly, this is all reasonable, it will function and will work out, only if the US and those who support it on this issue pledge to renounce the use of force, because it is difficult to make any country – Syria or any other country in the world – to unilaterally disarm if there is military action against it under consideration,” President Putin told exclusively to RT on Tuesday.

This is the Cuban Missile Crisis in reverse. I suspect Vlad has dreamed of a day when he could impose this kind of humiliation on an American president for a long time.

[Captain Hate on an iPhone]

Wait a second; Tammy Bruce is saying that Poppin' Fresh believes that publishing RFK Jr's diary is double plus ungood. By all means let's give him a pass on his wife's suicide. Idiot.

[Threadkiller]

I bet Obama has dreamed the same, Ranger.

He is nothing more than a pawn that was promoted to queen.

[NK(tryin')]

Australia is a better template than Norway.. my point is that demographics and the EC makes Conserv/Repubs job harder than the Aussie Coalition, which has a 92% white voting population which is more persuadable by politics, than the ethnic black/mexican Dem voting block in the USA. sad but true. So the Aussie Coalition has an easier time than repubs/conservatives in the USA

[fdcol63]

There's a reason Obama was pictured with Zakaria's book The Post-American World.

[NK(tryin')]

very good point fdcol63-- destroying American power is a feature of Obamaism....

[Clarice]

Love, that Burge tweet--I just love him.
Excellent point, Frau.

Ot seems that Obama's minions are now whispering to gullible journos that he and Putin kinda worked the scheme out earlier. HEH. Get me their names and addresses..PUK , Ltd has stuff to sell!

Putin is going to rub Obama's nose in it until he can't cry any more.

[Clarice]

MOTUS on the petit military strike or PMS:http://www.michellesmirror.com/2013/09/we-put-our-plans-for-petite-military.html#.Ui93tGLxKRE

[Extraneous]

Stephanie Cutter is a beautiful and sexy woman.
If you disagree, you are Gay and a Communist,
and an hermaphrodite of questionable progeny.

[Marko]

"Hermaphrodite," the original bi-sexual?