SYRIAN SCUDS IN LEBANON, AND WHAT SHOULD BE DONE BY THE USA ABOUT IT - IMMEDIATELY

OBAMA DITHERS OUT OF INCOMPETENCE AND/OR A BIAS AGAINST ISRAEL:

According to one school of thought, this is Assad's way of playing hardball with the Israelis in advance of Israeli-Syrian negotiations. No one wants to negotiate from a weak position, so he is amassing chits that he can bargain away later.

An opposing theory is that Assad has no interest in engaging with the Americans or negotiating with Israel at all. This line of thinking concludes that he is simply paving the way for eventual conflict with Israel.

The third, more nuanced analysis portrays Assad as a man in a bind. He has himself so tied up with Iran and Hezbollah that perhaps he can't disengage as easily as those in the West think he can. Also, Assad has always been a gambler and may have simply become entangled in his own web of deals with so many competing interests.

"We do not understand Syrian intentions. No one does, and until we get to that question we can never get to the root of the problem," the official said. "Until then it's all damage control."

Meanwhile, the administration is trying to explain to the Syrians how foolish the weapons transfers are, if they are really happening, while telling the Israelis to be patient and arguing that the only beneficiary of a new Israeli-Hezbollah war would be Iran, which would seize upon a new conflict to deflect international pressure over its nuclear program.

OBAMA DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!?!?!?

• IT'S LIKE THIS IS THE 3AM PHONE CALL AND NEITHER OBAMA OR HILLARY OR ANYONE IN THE ADMINISTRATION KNOWS WHAT TO DO.

• IT'S LIKE A MINI CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS WHICH CAN DESTABILIZE THE ENTIRE REGION, AND OBAMA DOESN'T SEEM TO GIVE A CRAP.

IT'S LIKE THE STUDENT/GREEN REBELLION IN IRAN:

• OBAMA SEEMS MORE UPSET THAT EVENTS ARE DISTURBING HIS SO-CALLED "PEACE PLANS" AND AGENDA FOR APPEASEMENT , THAN IN DEFENDING AND ADVANCING US INTERESTS, THE INTERESTS OF OUR ALLIES AND THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY.

• ALL WE GET FROM OBAMA IS WISHY-WASHY STATEMENTS FROM STATE.

HERE'S WHAT THEY SHOULD DO - IT'S WHAT REAGAN AND IKE AND JFK WOULD HAVE DONE:

• SEND THE 6TH FLEET TO BEIRUT AND ISSUE A PUBLIC ULTIMATUM FROM THE WHITE HOUSE OR THE UNSC:

• DEMAND THE MISSILES BE MOVED BACK TO SYRIA WITHIN 48 HOURS OR BEIRUT AND DAMASCUS WILL BE ATTACKED.

THIS IS WHAT THE ONCE INDISPENSABLE AND ONCE GREAT POWER USED TO DO - WHEN WE HAD A PRESIDENT WHOSE HEART AND SOUL WAS IN THE JOB AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

OBAMA SEEMS MORE LIKE APPEASER IN CHIEF!

UNDER OBAMA, THE USA IS NO LONGER THE DEFENDER OF THE FREE WORLD.

WE CAN END OBAMA'S DITHERING IN NOVEMBER: VOTE GOP.