‘You live in NY, I live in Syria.’

Muallem painted a bleak picture when describing the many perils the Syrian people are currently enduring, while accusing some foreign nations, including Turkey, of supporting terrorists in Syria. But the coalition – which mostly consists of self-exiled Syrians who have not been in the country for years – was the subject of particular scorn.
As the minister was blasting the SNC for selling their allegiance to the highest bidder and enjoying a comfortable life in five-star hotels while people died on the ground in Syria, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon interrupted the speech, asking whether he needed much time to wrap it up.

Daily Beast:

The Obama administration’s outreach to the Islamic Front in Syria earlier this month failed due to a flawed plan and unrealistic goals, insiders say–and now American influence on the ground with the armed Syrian opposition is at a new low.

Update: Syria misses deadline to remove chemical weapons

Nice of someone to notice: IT WAS astonishing to hear President Obama, in the preamble to his end-of-year news conference last week, cite Syria as one of his foreign policy successes.

Chinese Admiral: “You can sail freely and we can too, but your freedom to sail cannot impact our freedom to sail,” he said, according to the article. “The instant you interfere with our sailing, sorry, but we will block you.”
h/t Mark Collins

National Post: Russia is negotiating its biggest weapons deals with Egypt since the Cold War as it seeks to capitalize on U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to cut defence aid to the military-backed government. (h/t Maz2)

Now is the time at SDA when we told you so.
Carol Platt Liebau, 2009;

A lot of the time he quote/unquote “worked from home”, which was sort of a shorthand – and people would say it sort of wryly – shorthand for not really doing much. He just wasn’t around. Most of the day to day work was carried out by the managing editor of the Review, my predecessor, a great guy called Tom Pirelli whose actually going to be one of the assistant attorney generals now.
He’s the one who did most of the day to day work. Barack Obama was nowhere to be seen. Occasionally he would drop in he would talk to people, and then he’d leave again as though his very arrival had been a benediction in and of itself, but not very much got done.

Washington Post, 2013;

This is a president who set up a system in which he imagines he is relieved of responsibility. Someone else’s job. Not his problem. Didn’t know. Doesn’t matter why.

Much more at Instapundit.

McClatchy: Intercepts caught Assad rejecting requests to use chemical weapons, German paper says… (h/t Rich)

BREAKING: Chemical weapons checks in Syria can go ahead if US renounces use of force: Putin

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) September 10, 2013

Related: ‘Putin shipping Assad more weapons to crush rebels’
Reuters: Russia withdraws request for emergency U.N. Syria meeting

“Following withdrawal of the request for consultations, Security Council meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) will not proceed,” Australian Ambassador Gary Quinlan, president of the 15-nation council this month, announced on his Twitter feed @AustraliaUN.
The meeting was expected to focus on a Russian plan to place Syrian chemical weapons under international control, diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

Via, Glenn

(And by the way, he served in Vietnam).

Via.
Related: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) “passing the time by playing poker on his iPhone during the hearing.”