THE PROCRASTINATING PRESIDENT

By Schmoel Yitzhak

                               Procrastination is the thief of time. (Anonymous)

Over the centuries there have been precious few leaders who have refined the art of procrastination better -- or worse, as the case may be -- than Barack Obama.

For more than a year, while the Syrian slaughter intensified, the American president's reactions varied from thumb-twiddling to hemming and hawing -- with no definitive policy to halt the massacres. 

The White House delaying game continued as the death toll from Damascus to Aleppo soared past the 90,000 mark and only now has Uncle Schmo reacted positively to the bloodshed.

True to form, Obama's decision to send small arms and ammunition to the Syrian rebels is a clear-cut case of too-little-too-late or, if you will, a re-definition of underwhelming.

Any one with a knowledge of military strategy will affirm that opponents of the murderer Bashar al-Assad cannot successfully defuse the Syrian army and air force which can overwhelm its foes with tanks, jets and -- no surprise here -- poison gas.

Small arms and ammunition amount to small potatoes and even a head-in-the-sand leader like Obama must know that. 

In this war, slingshots won't halt Assad's tanks but anti-tank guns will. Curiously, the White House has not yet included much more than what amounts to pop-guns and Bashar knows that only to well.

Even worse -- if that's possible -- the manner in which Washington broke the anti-Assad news once again demonstrates that the president's scale of values are skewed upside down.

Let's face it, the fact that the folks on Pennsylvania Avenue have acknowledged Syria's crossing of the chemical "red line" and have agreed to align with the rebels is big, big news.

With that in mind, any self-respecting president would have gotten himself front and center orating before a battery of microphones to declare his war on Assad. 

Instead, when it came time for the momentous declaration the president was nowhere to be found. A lackey named Benjamin J. Rhodes was deputized to face the media and explain the significant policy switch. 

Rhodes did all the talking and where do you think America's grandiose leader was when all this was going on; Obama was addressing a gay pride event. Now, seriously folks, what's more important a new policy against Assad or talking to the homosexual community?

A day later the new policy needed further explanation and, once again, the president was needed there to articulate his plan of action.

Oops! Where's the president this time? What important bit of business could have detoured him from this vital media briefing? Omigosh, he went to a Father's Day luncheon in the State Dining Room.

Imagine what the double-ducking does for the morale of forces opposing the Syrian dictatorship. If Obama doesn't care it sends a message directly to Assad; kill more Syrians, use chemical weapons on the rebels, you won't get much more than finger-pointing from Pennsylvania Avenue.

And speaking of too-little-too-late the same can be said for Bill Clinton who suddenly has decided to challenge the president on this issue.

Addressing Obama's procrastination tactics, Hillary's husband says that Obama is looking like a "total fool" and a "wuss."

Big Bill has something there because the present administration re-defines the game of "Chicken" in the worst way. After all few chief executives in American history have been so plaintively fearful when action is necessary than Obama.

Bill Clinton: "Obama should see down the road -- and to win!"

Brother Bill knows full well that the president can't see a thing with his head buried in sand especially when Obama's strategy in combating mass murderers such as Assad consists of high-velocity procrastination.