Why is it this country [Israel] gets away with so much... because of the unquestioned support of the USA

Imagine what Assad would of done.

They did the world and the Syrian people a huge favor.

less responsibly or differently? Same goes for Iran.

Will go at the moment to remain in power.

The uprising there is still current.

I can see some of the Jihadis who grab power if he falls using them against us, however. The implications of that risk analysis tells me it's probably better not to let the Syrian Army fall apart, as happened in Libya. Since the Syrian Army command is all based in the Alawite clans, with the Assad clan at the head, getting rid of this particular figurehead won't make any difference at all.

So, why are we still doing this regime change?

But there's no oil involved with Syria ..

I'd hate to think of the vulnerabilities in American power and influence that would be revealed if we were to get sucked into a regional war between Sunni and Shi'ia Islam in half a dozen countries at the same time.

It won't be much fun for Americans at home, either. If you liked post-9/11 America, just wait for the nasty police state we'll become after a string of soft American targets get blown up around the world and another high casualty event inside "the Homeland."

Those 15,000 Libyan MANPADs now floating around arms bizarres will worry us for years to come. What a potential cluster f-ck that can cause! What a stupid policy to promote an armed uprising in a place like Libya!

What's even more unfortunate is the article fails to dig into the reasons behind the President's decision. I would have liked to know because I don't particularly agree with it.

The US has never been anything resembling a fair broker in these "negotiations." Given that, and Israel's very obvious antagonism to the idea of a Palestinian state, it's pretty clear to anyone paying attention that "direct negotiations" brokered by the US will result in no gains at all for the Palestinians. The Palestinian government has finally recognized the obvious and is exploring other options... options which htey are completely within their right to pursue.

It really boils down to AIPAC.