We have no idea what Barack Obama will say when he addresses the nation Tuesday night, but here’s what he should say:
“Good evening. One month ago, Bashar al-Assad again turned chemical weapons on the Syrian people, murdering women and children in a conflict that has already killed 100,000 people. Keep this in mind as you hear the charge that America is taking the world to war. Syrians have been suffering from war for years, and notwithstanding Moscow’s sudden supposed interest in a peaceful resolution, it is a war Russia has egged on by supplying Assad with missiles, jet fighters, helicopters and so on.
“As for war on innocents, this is a hallmark of the Assad family dictatorship: We recall when Assad Sr. massacred the citizens of Hama during an earlier revolt.
“I repeat these facts to stress how false it is to say America has brought on this clash. Assad has done this by his actions. It is equally false that our only choice is between all-out invasion and doing nothing.
“By striking at Assad’s military capabilities, we can diminish his ability to rain down terror on Syrian citizens — and help prevent chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terror groups such as Hezbollah. For those who think doing nothing would be consequence-free, recall how Ambassador April Glaspie in 1990 told Saddam Hussein we had no red line on his Arab-Arab conflicts. The next thing we knew, Saddam invaded Kuwait, and America was in the first of two wars with Iraq.
“I know many in Congress have strong differences with me. I ask them to put these aside so we might act as one against a butcher who supports terrorists and sows instability. I ask those in my own party not to forget that American power can be a force for good.
“We cannot ignore Assad’s defiance. More Syrian innocents will suffer if his atrocity goes unpunished. Americans risk seeing Syria’s chemical weapons fall into the hands of terrorists. And instability in the Middle East will only grow as Iran, Syria’s patron, takes the message of inaction: full speed ahead on the nukes.
“That we cannot allow. Thank you, and God bless America.”