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US president Barack Obama gave the toughest indication yet that the United States will only tolerate a certain level of brutality in the Syrian civil war.

At the National Defense University, he said: "The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable." Switching to speak directly to Syrian president Bashir al-Assad, he continued: "If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable."
ABC

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President Obama is doubling down on his assertion that such an attack would be considered a "game changer" for his administration - but the president also emphasized the importance of finding out "precisely whether or not this red line was crossed" before making a decision that could lead to an act of war.

"Once we establish the facts I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game changer," Mr. Obama said.  CBS

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The credibility of the U.S. is ever more on the line with the astonishing revelation that President Obama engaged in unexpected improvisation in drawing a chemical weapons “red line” for Syria’s Bashar Assad.

In a press conference last August, Obama put Assad on notice that the U.S. would respond if Assad escalated from conventional warfare against his own people, saying:

“We cannot have a situation in which chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people . . . a red line for us is, we start seeing a whole bunch of weapons moving around or being utilized.”

Daily News

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News reports suggest Bashar al-Assad marked the first anniversary of President Obama’s “red line” on chemical weapons in traditional fashion: by launching a new chemical attack on civilians.

The White House says the president is “deeply concerned” and insists those responsible “must be held accountable.” Surely Assad is quaking in his boots.

Opposition groups released photos and videos of what they said was an attack using an unspecified chemical agent.
NY Post

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But what Obama said was a little less clear.

“We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized,” the president said a year ago last week. “That would change my calculus. That would change my equation.”

It was also unclear what the consequences of crossing that “red line” would be. Obama has cautioned that unilateral action, particularly without a U.N. mandate, may be unwise and could run afoul of international law. In keeping with the strategy he used in seeking international cooperation for airstrikes against Libya in 2011, Obama warned in a CNN interview last week that international cooperation is key to military intervention.

To many, Wednesday’s attack outside Damascus would likely qualify as “a whole bunch” of chemical weapons deployed.  CBS