WASHINGTON, DC – The phone lines are heating up as world leaders decide what to do about Syria.
The White House lays out its case later today to Congress, as required by law before the U.S. takes military action against any nation.
“The president, as you know, has called a number of other allies in Europe and some of our partners in the region. That international consultation is ongoing,” said Josh Earnest, Deputy White House Press Secretary.
Britain took the unusual step of publishing an intelligence assessment that blames the Syrian government for the chemical attack.
And the British government says the UN does not have to approve a strike on Syria, because any military action would be for humanitarian purposes.
UN inspectors visited the site of one of last week’s reported gas attacks outside Damascus. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon says the inspectors will leave Syria by Saturday.
Meanwhile, Russia, China and Iran warn the west not to act hastily.
And the UN-Arab League envoy to Syria agrees.
“There is enough killing that has taken place in Syria. We don’t want more killing. We want this killing to end,” said Lakhdar Brahimi.
President Assad came out of hiding for the first time since the attacks, smiling and walking with a delegation from Yemen.
He’s also got his head in a cloud, or at least his photos. He put photos on his Instagram account showing lots of smiles from people still alive after two years of fighting.
And while protesters in London march against any military action in Syria, the residents in Damascus seem unconcerned. Traffic is normal, security officers sip tea, and there’s no run on grocery stores.
Of course, we know that all that can change in the blink of an eye, either from the Syrian government using chemical weapons, or western governments using missiles.
