Where is Susan Sarandon when you need her?

Ten years ago, Susan Sarandon and whole bunch of Hollywood types were having hissy fits over American military incursions into Iraq.

Now that our Fearless Leader is trying to punish Syria, we have to wonder where these anti-war peaceniks are. They are remarkably silent.

Now say what you like about the Iraq expedition, I won't argue with you. But let's at least learn from this.

Is Assad really the enemy here? Is the opposition really pro-democracy with American-style civil rights, like, say, freedom of religion and the exalted position homosexuals and women now hold in the power structures of the establishment?

I am personally dubious.

Now, it could very well be that NEITHER side in the Syrian conflict is a side that America should take. Maybe two camps of our enemies are fighting each other. Maybe it's Al Qaeda versus a Russian-sympathizing dictator. Maybe it's two arms of barbarism killing each other off.

Maybe it's time we protect Israel but let the rest of the mideast annihilate each other. They've been doing it for centuries. Tribal and sectarian warfare is their national pastime. What makes us think we're gonna stop it? Protect Israel but otherwise stay out of it.

But if we're serious about responding to the "slaughter," as Kerry put it, then we have dig a little deeper than accusing Assad of chemical warfare.

You know why Iraq didn't work out the way we hoped 10 years ago? I'll tell you. It's because we didn't seek and destroy radical Islamists. Maybe all Moslems are radial Islamists - it could very well be. But some are clearly so. And the attempt to stop short of eradicating them, to "let the democratic process work," only left the infection festering in the wound. If you want to cure an infected wound you have to eradicate the infecting organism. E. Rad.I.Cate.

If we are going to respond to the slaughter in the hope of ending it, then we have to get rid of those perpetrating slaughter, and honestly, it's not just Assad. Maybe BOTH sides in Syria (and Iraq and Iran and Egypt and Pakistan and Afghanistan and so on and so on) need to be gotten rid of.

Maybe we should start supporting the CHRISTIANS in the middle east who have been driven out of the area. You know, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabi - these were all Christian countries once. Yep, Christian. Christian. What happened to the Christians? Islam. Why is Spain still (at least nominally) Christian and Lebanon not? Christian forces succeeded thwarting Islam in Spain but not in Lebanon. But I digress.

Now if we do not have the resolve in war to eradicate the infection, then we should not enter into the war. And insofar as we lacked that resolve in Iraq, so we should not have even entered the country, and yeah, I never thought I'd say this, but I think I now agree with Susan Sarandon. But not for the same reasons as her. She would say, "all war (uh, perpetrated by a Republican) is evil." I would say, "All war in which the real enemy is not well recognized and not defeated is evil." Well there are other evil wars, but assuming that going to war itself is justified, it's an evil war that that does not accomplish its goals.

Sec. Kerry meanwhile is calling it dangerous - dangerous - to American security not to attack Assad. And what shall we do? Airstrikes, but no US foot soldiers. Just CIA-trained Syrian foot soldiers. What is this going to accomplish? That American means what it says and that our allies can count on us, like Kerry says? Is that the purpose of this?

Oh, he said we should not standby and watch the slaughter. Slaughter. OK. What about the slaughter in Nigeria? Sudan? China? Egypt? What about the slaughter of American citizens in Lybia? Why is THIS slaughter so important for us to intervene in? Because Obama said he would if Assad crossed a red line? Because Obama's credibility is on the line? Believe me, this won't help Obama's credibility.

Does not any US action in the area bring more vitriol against Israel? How does that help our national security in the mideast?

I am unconvinced of the Sec. of State's arguments.

But I will say this.

If we go into Syria, we better ACCOMPLISH something MORE than a repair to our reputation that has been systematically undermined since the present administration took office. Poor Assad. The scapegoat for Obama's failures.