◼ Obama is coming under fire from Republicans, editorialists and even civil libertarians for his seemingly selective outrage — and selective investigation — when it comes to the sharing of American secrets. - Jonathan Allen/Politico
President Barack Obama has defended his aggressive pursuit and prosecution of certain leakers by arguing that the release of national security secrets can endanger American forces.
But he and his aides have been silent so far on his own administration’s campaign to detail war plans for a series of strikes on Syria that are expected in the coming days. A National Security Council spokeswoman referred questions about whether Obama would launch an investigation into Syria leaking to the Justice Department....
One former Obama White House official said it’s too easy to reach the conclusion that the Syria plans were part of a coordinated leak by the administration.
“I think way too often reporters assume a leak is on purpose rather than just a leak,” the former official said. “Unless there’s evidence otherwise, it’s my experience that these things are rarely planned.”
Still, there’s been no talk of looking into who leaked. And some observers have little doubt.
“It’s remarkable. I haven’t seen anything like that in the past,” retired Gen. Paul Eaton of the National Security Network said of the Syria leaking, suggesting it may have been designed to see what reaction the plans would draw from various audiences at home and abroad.
“This administration has done a lot of trial balloon work,” he said.
◼ No Regime Change—and Maybe No Strike At All - Lee Smith/Weekly Standard
If Obama is now giving the impression that, in spite of all the press leaks early this week that made him look decisive and virile, he’s having second thoughts, the defiant Assad’s allies and supporters are rallying around the regime and puffing their chests. Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, threatened retaliation against Israel, a boast echoed in pro-Hezbollah corners in Lebanon. On a pro-regime Facebook page, a caricature of a bulked up Syrian soldier tells a trembling Uncle Sam, “Looks like you’ve forgotten what the Syrian Arab Army is.”
◼ Distinguished Admiral: The White House isn't just leaking(information), it's coming out through a hose. - Discussion at Lucianne
◼ In Syria, U.S. credibility is at stake - David Ignatius/Washington Post
Using military power to maintain a nation’s credibility may sound like an antiquated idea, but it’s all too relevant in the real world we inhabit. It has become obvious in recent weeks that President Obama, whose restrained and realistic foreign policy I generally admire, needs to demonstrate that there are consequences for crossing a U.S. “red line.” Otherwise, the coherence of the global system begins to dissolve.
