Russian Plan Could Offer "Off Ramp" for Obama

President Barack Obama addressed the nation last night with an assist from an unexpected source, the benefit of additional time, and at least the prospect of an outcome that stops short of military action in Syria.

Whether by good fortune or design, it wasn’t the speech that had been envisioned just 24 hours earlier, thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin seizing on an off-hand comment from Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. might stand down if Syria turned over its chemical weapons.

As such, Obama was able to delay a showdown vote with Congress, where momentum was moving away from him. He also reduced the risk of further erosion in public support that could become a drag on his domestic agenda, including the implementation of his landmark health care law and lifting the federal government’s debt ceiling.

“I know everybody was looking for an off ramp,” said Representative Buck McKeon, a California Republican and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, “because they knew they didn’t have the votes.”

Still, McKeon said he’s skeptical about whether Russia will prove a fair partner in the mission ahead, particularly when Putin began imposing early demands on Russia’s cooperation.

“Putin dangled the hook and they bit,” he said. “Now that they’re on the hook he started pulling.”

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