Steve Chapman on Inching Toward War in Syria

For the moment, the Obama administration is not beating the Syrian war drums. Ivo Daalder, U.S. ambassador to NATO, has taken pains to distinguish the Syria situation from the Libya situation. In Libya, he has noted, we didn't agree to military action until we could cite 1) a demonstrable need (the prospect of mass slaughter), 2) a sound legal basis (a UN Security Council resolution) and 3) regional support. But that formula is not really an argument against acting in Syria, writes Steve Chapman. It's more of a roadmap to intervention.