Obama Reaches Out to Putin as Syria Implodes

In the wake of the instability that has followed the Syrian opposition’s recent success in Damascus and elsewhere, President Obama reached out to Russia President Putin in an attempt to find some way to avoid a larger war.

In commenting on the discussion Obama had with Putin, White House spokesman Jay Carney would only say: “The window is closing, we need to take action in a unified way to help bring about the transition that the Syrian people so deserve.” The problem is that Russia and the U.S. are on two totally different pages at this point. The White House believes Syrian President Assad’s days are numbered, while Russia believes the West is actively forcing Assad out.

And the waters only get muddier when you consider that within the U.S. government itself, Senators like John McCain (R-AZ) are pushing for the U.S. to arm the Syrian opposition while Congressmen like House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) oppose such an action. 

Moreover, Obama currently opposes any U.S. military action at all, while Putin is sending weaponry to Assad’s government.

Things simply don’t appear “unified” at present.