Syria Warns the U.S. About Air Strikes

"Syria's foreign minister warned the U.S. on Monday, Sept. 1, 2014 not to conduct airstrikes inside Syria against Islamic State (IS) militants without Damascus' consent, saying any such attack would be considered aggressive. Walid al-Moallem's words appeared timed to pre-empt any U.S. military action in Syria. President Barack Obama has resisted ordering U.S. military action in Syria for three years ... But now, Obama faces pressure from his own military leaders to go after Islamic State inside Syria."

This Syrian official has now thrown down the gauntlet to the might United States of America: she does not want American airstrikes on her territory. She does not need American help to defeat IS. In fact, news reports have surfaced these past few weeks that Syrian President Assad is following a unique strategy. He is temporarily joining IS in a concerted attack on the Western-backed militant army which has waged war on him for the past several years.

Assad is said to be planning to then turn his guns on IS once the Western-backed rebels are neutralized. This strategy appears to be sound.

If President Obama decides to order American airstrikes against Syrian objections, he has just opened a mighty Pandora's box for Russia. Obama will have overridden the objections of a sovereign, elected government in Syria; therefore, the White House could not complain if Russia did the same against Ukraine.

The American Government is on a slippery slope in Syria and had best back down! Let Assad's forces defeat the rebel army which has proven almost as disgusting as IS, and then let him turn his army's guns on IS.