Spinning Syria as US claims red line crossed

So, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes is the White House point-man spinning the US towards war in Syria. And spin is what it is all about – remember Obama’s stated position is that if  “a whole bunch” of chemical weapons were used or moved around in Syria this would cross “a red line”.

Not exactly precision language but you get the drift; whole bunch = lots.  Note too the other Obama statement on this that “intelligence assessments are not enough”.

Now look at what Rhodes has said: “Our intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year.”

So – intelligence assessments say small-scale use. Yet the spin now is that the red line’s crossed.

The White House said in a statement issued late on Thursday that the use of chemical weapons “violates international norms and crosses clear red lines”.

Hang on, since when did “small scale” mean the same as “whole bunch”? If “intelligence assessments are not enough” before – why are they suddenly enough now?

Ever get the feeling you’re being played?

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