"Perhaps you should look at the facts. "
"The facts", in this particular case, are quite likely to be that those closest to the worst world leader in over the last half century have told the president that, instead of ignoring the war crimes being committed by Russia and Syria, it might be a great photo-opportunity for him to clean up his image and appear as a sentient human being for a change.
Assad should have been arrested and placed in front of a War Crimes Tribunal by the U.N. at the time he was slaughtering civilians in Homs - he might have been had Russia and China used their veto to prevent that happening.
His viciously murderous activities prior to that should have been investigated at the time of the AMNESTY REPORT in 2009
They weren't, - he was considered too valuable an asset to the West - "a safe pair of hands" in the Middle East, so we did nothing and ignored the mass murder and torture that was going on.
The end result has been that Western inaction has provided a perfect breeding ground for fanatics like Isis and we have become part of the slaughter.
Now Assad - a proven mass murderer, whatever he does and will continue to do, is one of our friends - and one of our most imaginatively horrific creations - Mary Shelly, eat your heart out.
A perfect example of political opportunism and national self-interest gone as toxic as the weapons that are being used.
The least that should come out of this bloody fiasco is that The United Nations should review its policy of allowing its most powerful Nation States to use its influence by blocking natural justice and humanity with vetoes - it happens far too often
Jim Carroll