Leadership Unites on Syria While Coffman Flops Like a Fish

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by: Colorado Pols

Rep. Mike Coffman.

Politico's Reid Epstein reports today that GOP Speaker of the House John Boehner has signed on to the President's request for congressional authority to attack Syria after that nation's alleged use of chemical weapons:

Boehner announced his position after a Tuesday morning meeting with congressional leadership in the Cabinet Room. In a 90-second statement to reporters, Boehner echoed Obama’s earlier sentiment that the United States has a unique responsibility and capability to enforce international law forbidding chemical weapons.

Boehner was joined in his support by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), putting the onus on House leadership to secure enough votes to pass a use-of-force resolution that remains unpopular among both the American public and rank-and-file members of both parties.

As we discussed this weekend, Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado is providing little in the way of leadership on an issue he should be an expert on as a former Marine officer. Instead, Coffman has seemingly reversed full circle from his original statement last week:

Since the United States is not in danger of an "imminent attack" the President must follow the Constitution and the War Powers Act of 1973 and come to the Congress for support before going forward with a military strike of any kind. [Pols emphasis]

Coffman says the delay in striking Assad has wasted precious time. [Pols emphasis]

“The Assad government has had all the time in the world to move their assets around so they don’t present themselves as easy targets,” he said.

If we're reading this right, Coffman has gone from demanding President Barack Obama obtain approval from Congress before attacking Syria to criticizing Obama for doing so, since "the delay in striking Assad has wasted precious time." We've been trying to figure out a way that President Obama could have made Coffman happy here, but between Obama being obliged to ask Congress, but having "wasted precious time" by asking Congress, we've basically got nothing. It would appear that Obama can do nothing right at all in Coffman's eyes.

And you know what, folks? He might really be that infantile.

9 thoughts on “Leadership Unites on Syria While Coffman Flops Like a Fish”

davebarnes says:

September 3, 2013 at 12:06 pm

Why are you confused? The goal is make Obama look bad.

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Davie says:

September 3, 2013 at 12:58 pm

Yeah, Obama just won't play by Coffman's rules for some unknown reason.

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exlurker19 says:

September 3, 2013 at 12:59 pm

But the goal should be a functioning government, not just making the POTUS look bad. Way too hard for Coffman, the poor little thing.

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BlueCat says:

September 3, 2013 at 1:38 pm

Must say Coffman is the most un-Marine like Marine I've ever encountered. Some of them may be crazy . Some may be ass hats. But you don't connect abject, shrinking violet cowardice with them and Coffman is the most abject political coward of all the pols I can think of in Colorado.

I have no idea what Coffman's service was like, how much danger he was in and, regardless, respect his willingness to serve his country and all that but he sure does have a very un-Marine like bearing and my kind of nuts, very right wing retired Marine reserve neighbor, who spent time in Afghanistan and in Iraq and knows Coffman, has always spoken of him as nothing but a desk jockey hardly fit to call himself a real Marine. Seems to really dislike the guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote in rather than voted for him or, heaven forbid, the Dem in Coffman's elections.

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Gilpin Guy says:

September 3, 2013 at 4:54 pm

Should be an interesting debate. Polis, Udall, Coffman and the rest of the crew are going to have to do some real soul searching to decide how to vote on this one. The question is if the vote fails then what or if the vote passes then what? How did Obama get in this spot where he is doing a George Bush impersonation?

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1. roccoprahn says:
  
  September 3, 2013 at 5:39 pm
  
  My gut says the republicans en masse are going to use Syria as a vehicle to embarrass………humiliate, actually, the President.
  
  republicans almost always vote party over country, and this is going to be a perfect example.
  
  There was once a time when the party of Lincoln was something for its' members to be proud of. This version, constituents included, are republicans, not Americans.
  
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  1. MADCO says:
    
    September 3, 2013 at 8:20 pm
    
    <yawn>
    
    The hawks will vote for any proposal to intervene forcefully in Syria (and anywhere else) and then will complain that whatever action was executed was not enough.
    
    The doves will vote against any proposal to intervene forcefully in Syria (and anywhere else) and then will complain that whatever action was executed was too much.
    
    Statesanship and leadership will, of course be rare.
    
    Examples of both former are numurous and too inane to seek out.
    
    An example of the latter…well, this one happens to be "against" but not because the speaker was a knee-jerk, head in the sand, ill-informed dove. I could find statesmanship exemplified in a "pro" speech too. But it's late and I'm lazy / tired (and too stoopid to make it partisan) .
    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF2CLRZLK2E&list=PLD8C0882A373BC61B&index=2
    
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    1. MADCO says:
      
      September 3, 2013 at 8:56 pm
      
      Oh- so the "embarrass the ~~CINC~~ President" strategy will be front and center. But those who fall for it (absent any real cause for embarrassment or regret – eg, leaving bin Laden alone in Tora Bora, appeasement in 1938, take the offensive at Little Big Horn) will be as knee jerk and inane as those who push it.
      
      Likewise the defend the CINC at all costs.
      
      But, real assessments, based on who knew what and when and how they knew it will come slowly. (If at all – this is Syria and no one knows anything.)
      
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      1. Gilpin Guy says:
        
        September 3, 2013 at 10:08 pm
        
        MADCO. I would say that it will all be based on whether you believe the UN inspectors or not. They were right about Iraq's non-existent WMD but will they be able to offer definitive proof that the Syrian government deliberately used nerve gas against a civilian population? The US needs to wait to hear the full report from the UN inspectors before voting to use force. I would guess that they are probably going to be pretty accurate and the same people who ignored them last time will also ignore them this time which is a real shame.
        
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