Chuck Norris has a Syria plan. Roundhouse kicks?
Actor, karate champion, and Obama critic Chuck Norris weighs in on the Syria crisis. His message to Obama: 'Quit taking the bait' from Syrian President Assad.
Washington
Chuck Norris has a plan for dealing with the Syrian situation.
Why should US officials care about the foreign policy opinions of an actor best known for feet and fists of fury? Because he鈥檚 an expert in conflict, he says.
鈥淎s a six-time world karate champion, I know something about fighting, winning and losing,鈥� writes Mr. Norris in an on the right-leaning WorldNetDaily.
First off, when it comes to the Norris view of how to respond to the Bashar al-Assad regime鈥檚 alleged use of chemical weapons, roundhouse kicks are not involved. Norris is not calling for himself, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis to parachute into Syria and end the civil war by hot-wiring Scud missiles and using them to blow up President Assad鈥檚 chemical weapons depots.
Although that would be awesome.
However, Norris is proceeding from an unusual assumption. According to him, Assad wants the US to bomb Syria. The wily Syrian leader 鈥� 鈥渁 dealer in lunacy and a high-risk roller autocrat,鈥� in Norris鈥檚 words 鈥� used chemical weapons knowing President Obama might react with US munitions.
In Norris鈥檚 formulation, by using poison gas Assad showed his supporters that he won鈥檛 back down 鈥� for him, the civil war is do-or-die. And US air strikes would only increase sympathy for Assad among his international allies such as Russia and Iran and the many anti-American Middle East factions.
The whole thing is geopolitical theater, to the action screen star. He does not mention that Assad might just be a teensy bit worried that maybe a cruise missile would end up in the Syrian presidential palace if he goes down this road.
鈥淚f I were one of our US lawmakers, I would emphatically tell the president: Quit taking the bait!鈥� writes Norris.
Furthermore, Norris scoffs at the US approach to possible strikes, in which officials from Obama on down have insisted that any attack would be limited in scope.
鈥淲hat professional fighter says, 鈥業鈥檓 going to go into the ring and throw a series of blows and then get out,鈥� as if the opponent has no bearing on counter measures?鈥� writes Norris. 鈥淥ne can鈥檛 limit an attack when you鈥檙e kicking hornets鈥� nests or throwing matches on gasoline!鈥�
(Here鈥檚 bonus : When Chuck Norris kicks a hornets鈥� nest, the insects sting themselves, out of fear.)
Then Norris proceeds to swerve into a four-point solution that could have come from the Brookings Institution or the pages of Foreign Affairs:
1.) Don鈥檛 unilaterally draw red lines dealing with any country that is not an imminent threat to the US.
2.) Tell the public you won鈥檛 go it alone against Syria.
3.) Present real evidence to gather as much international and congressional support as you can.
4.) If you have majority support, decide together (with Congress and the UN, presumably) on the best course of action.
Wow, when you put it that way, it sounds so easy, doesn鈥檛 it?
In closing we will note that Norris is a long-time Obama opponent who last year wrote that the administration had a secret to European levels of $10 per gallon or more.
Prior to the 2012 election Norris taped a warning that defeating Obama would 鈥減reserve for our children this last best hope of man on earth,鈥� while an Obama victory would 鈥渟entence them to take the first step into 1,000 years of darkness.鈥�
So it鈥檚 not like he is predisposed to approve of the administration鈥檚 foreign policy.