Step back from the hysteria one moment and ask yourself this question: If Assad is winning his war (and, by all accounts, he is), why would he suddenly use chemical weapons to kill only a few hundred people? His troops kill far more than that every single day, so why would he risk international condemnation and the possibility of an American attack for such a paltry gain when he is winning by using conventional weapons?

Suppose you were the commander of the opposing force and lost more than 100,000 people. Wouldn’t you do everything possible to turn the tide of war and win? So you ask yourself: “How can we force Americans to intervene and do our killing for us?” The answer is obvious. Stage a small chemical attack on your own people … they would be glorious martyrs for the cause. And what if a few more die? You lose that many every day, and if the Americans fall for your ruse, it will be well worth the cost.

I smell a rat here. President Barack Obama and the American press are playing us for suckers. This is not about Syria, it is not about chemical weapons, and this is definitely not about America being threatened. This is entirely about Obama trying to show the world that he has guts.

Danny Pierce

Mancos