REMEMBER OBAMA’S CHEMICAL WEAPON RED LINE IN SYRIA?: Stephen’s posted on this. I’ve been following the chemical attack in Syria story since early this morning. The BBC article Stephen linked to and the AP both report the suspected the chemical agent used in the attack is sarin (GB), a nerve agent. The description of the symptoms experienced by victims is consistent with a nerve agent.

Note this from the BBC report:

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that strikes on Khan Sheikhoun by Syrian government or Russian jets had caused many people to choke.

We don’t know who delivered the bombs– not yet.

Now, recall Obama worked out a deal with Russia (via Vladimir Putin). Russia would take control of the Assad regime’s chemical weapons arsenal. The Kremlin would then move the weapons out of Syria and destroy them.

Apparently the BBC didn’t remember that history, even though it is very relevant context. Well, Business Insider remembers.

The Obama administration’s failure to enforce the “red line” it drew for intervention in Syria against Assad in 2012 has become arguably the biggest stain on the former president’s foreign-policy legacy. Kerry acknowledged in December that the failure to follow through on the threat to retaliate against Assad for his use of chemical weapons to kill 1,500 people in August of 2013 damaged the US’s reputation in the region.

Obama opted instead for a deal brokered by Russia to ship Assad’s chemical weapons stockpile out of Syria and destroy them. The US hailed the deal as a success, but Assad has evidently retained some of the weapons he promised to destroy. Syrian activists have reported three separate chemical attacks in the last week alone, according to the Associated Press, including the attack Tuesday.

Stay tuned.