[politics] Yeah, that'd've gone over real well...

What's that you ask? How does launching air strikes against Syria grab ya? And not months ago, either... We're talking last week, during those highly-publicized border offensives:

NEW YORK (AFP) - The United States recently debated launching military strikes inside Syria against camps used by insurgents operating in neighboring Iraq, a US magazine reported. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice successfully opposed the idea at a meeting of senior American officials held on October 1 [emphasis added], Newsweek reported, citing unnamed US government sources.

Well, at least Rice appears to have half a gram of sense. Can you imagine what would have erupted if we had launched those strikes? Personally, when I saw the headlines I was expecting some kind of Tonkin-on-the-Euphrates action, and I'm glad calmer heads prevailed. I have no love for Syria's regieme, but still... That would not have been a sign that we were exactly in control of the situation in Iraq, despite the noises to the contrary coming from the talking heads, offical and syncophantic alike. More-or-less current information about Syria may be found here.