On The Other Hand, "Thinking Out Loud" Doesn't Help

I've always regarded Barack Obama as a very smart President, one who learned quickly from his mistakes and moved just as quickly to correct them.  But his handling of his proposal to destroy Syria's chemical-warfare capacity with air strikes has really made me wonder, as it has a lot of others.

The smart way of approaching this would have been for the Administration to come together internally on a clear, defensible strategy and then present that to Congressional leaders, all before going to the media, the nation and the international community with it.  Instead, Obama has created the appearance of a man whose strategy has a decidedly this-day, that-day quality to it.  First, he declared that he was going to launch air strikes, then he decided to submit the matter to Congress for a decision, then he announced that he may launch the air strikes in any event. 

And, in any event, he has not been clear about why these strikes are needed in this instance.  Personally, I believe that, if the Assad regime is using chemical weapons against his own people, and the international community is afraid to enforce its own norms because it is afraid of retaliation from Russia, Syria's ally, then no one should fault the United States for taking action that enforces those norms and serves its own national interests (particularly with regard to the defense of its own ally, Israel).  If I can boil the rationale down to a few lines, then so should Obama.  Why can't he do it?

The closest thing I can come to is the professorial nature of Obama's thinking.  He enjoys dialogue, weighing competing arguments and interests against each other, and letting circumstances play themselves out before he comes to a final decision.  As the son of a professor, I admire that style of thinking, and am frequently guilty of it myself.  Sadly, however, it doesn't work too well in the case of an international crisis.  All too often, the dangers and risks involved require quick thinking, clear action and, above all, assembling a compelling case to make to the people who have entrusted you not only with the fate of the nation, but also of their lives as well.

I understand that Obama is planning a media blitz and a speech to the nation this week.  Let's hope and pray that both reinforce his former image as a quick learner.