Obama Flip-Flops on Sending U.S. Troops to Syria; Had Vowed to Send Them If Syria Used Chemicals

President Obama last night did a flip-flop on his policy on Syria by ruling out sending U.S. troops to that nation, despite the fact that he had definitively asserted that he would do so over a year ago, if Syria used chemical weapons in its civil war against its rebels, the Washington Times website reports today (May 4, 2013).

Scientists have confirmed that Syrian President Assad did, in fact, use chemical weapons recently against Syrian rebels, which resulted in the death of several people. More than 70,000 Syrians have been killed in Syria's civil war which has been going on for over two years. Syrian rebels have said that they feel "let down" by the failure of the United States to assist them with its military power in their ongoing struggle to overthrow their dictator president.

"I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria, American boots on the ground in Syria, would not only be good for America, but also would be good for Syria," Obama said last night at a news conference in San Jose, Costa Rica, where he is attending an international summit.

More than a year ago, Obama had promised to send U.S. troops to Syria if it used chemical weapons in its civil war. Now,  his complete reversal in policy has damaged his credibility and has tended to portray him as a bluff -- at least insofar as U.S. military action is concerned.