JAMES TARANTO: Beating About the Bush: Obama’s war embarrasses some journalists.
Sometimes history seems to have a sense of humor. In September 2013 BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski unearthed an old video and reported: “During the presidential election last year Vice President Joe Biden attacked Mitt Romney for being ‘ready to go to war’ in Syria.” . . .
A greater irony than the comparison between the Obama administration and Biden’s notional Romney administration is that between Obama and his predecessor. The current administration still seems at great pains to distinguish itself from George W. Bush. The Journal quotes an unnamed U.S. official as saying of the strikes in Syria: “It is shock, without the awe”–meaning it’s less awesome than the airstrikes that preceded the 2003 ground invasion of Iraq.
In a statement this morning, the president himself said: “We were joined in this action by our friends and partners–Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, and Qatar.” He continued: “The strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not America’s fight alone. Above all, the people and governments in the Middle East are rejecting ISIL and standing up for the peace and security that the people of the region and the world deserve.”