Letter of the Day (Sept. 17): Obama and Syria

September 17, 2013 at 4:00AM
President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit at the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on Sept. 5.
President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit at the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on Sept. 5. (Stan Schmidt — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

President Obama has received nothing but bad press about his handling of the Syrian situation regarding the use of poison gas. But, think about it, who has really bluffed whom?

As of a couple of weeks ago, Syrian President Bashar Assad had no chemical weapons — or so he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no support for the United States at all.

Apparently as a result of our president's saber-rattling and maybe even his seeming indecision, Assad will turn over those weapons he didn't have to the United Nations and Putin is working with us to broker the plan. The process may take forever, but so what?

Putin thinks he's a hero; Assad has had to admit to his chemicals, and Obama doesn't have to send any missiles.

JUDY STARKEY, Wayzata
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