Obama's Inability to Connect Ethically with the Syrian Crisis

It is very clear that President Obama is stalling for time, hoping that, as after past uses of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war, events will move on and the chemical attack will be forgotten and evidence wiil disappear. More agressively, British Foreign Minister William Hague said today that the fact is that UN experts would have been allowed to investigate the site if there had not been a chemical attack by al-Assad forces. But President Barack Obama takes a much less assertive position. Here are excerpts from a live interview the US President gave on American television this morning. Mr. Obama said that a possible chemical weapons attack in Syria this week is a "big event of grave concern" that has hastened the timeframe for determining a US response. It is something that requires America's attention." However, the President said the notion that the US alone can end Syria's bloody civil war is "overstated" and made it very clear he would seek international support, including UN approval, before taking large-scale action. President Obama added : "If the US goes in and attacks another country without a UN mandate and without clear evidence that can be presented, then there are questions in terms of whether international law supports it, do we have the coalition to make it work," he said in the interview on CNN's "New Day" show. "Those are considerations that we have to take into account." While he appeared to signal some greater urgency in responding, his comments were largely in line with his previous statements throughout the two-year conflict. The President said the US must determine that its actions are consistent with its national interests, "both in terms of us making sure that weapons of mass destruction are not proliferating, as well as needing to protect our allies, our bases in the region." Obama has warned that the use of the deadly gases would cross a "red line," but the US response, which is determined by Obama, to the confirmed attacks earlier this year has been minimal. That has engendered fierce criticism against Obama, both in the US and abroad. Among those leading the criticism is Arizona's Republican Senator John McCain, who says America's credibility has been damaged because Obama has not taken action to stop the violence. President Obama's response to McCain? : "Well, you know, I am sympathetic to Senator McCain's passion for helping people work through what is an extraordinarily difficult and heartbreaking situation, both in Syria and in Egypt," he said. "It is in our long-term national interests, even as we work cooperatively internationally to do everything we can to put pressure on those who would kill innocent civilians." The UN team is currently on the ground to investigate two earlier alleged chemical attacks. However, the President was pessimistic about those prospects, saying, "We don't expect cooperation, given their past history." ~~~~~ President Obama did not do himself any favors on TV this morning. He appeared coldly detached from the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria. His responses were intellectually driven, with little evidence that he really feels the problem. Barack Obama has not learned what is perhaps the most important lesson for leaders - that governing is as much a question of heart as it is of facts. Leadership is not about mastering the law or ordering position papers. Leadership is about a visceral emotional connection to those being led and an awareness of the ethical precepts that guide them. President Obama seems far removed emotionally and ethically from the Americans he leads. So it is perhaps impossible for him to do anything about Syria that would reflect America's agony over events there.