'The pretenses of the Irrelevants'

'Intense, close-hold, 

urgent & confidential consultation (black, no sugar please!)' 

"...Sabra said the proposed Geneva conference was a device to hide the international community’s failure to end the war in Syria, and threatened that if the Coalition decided to attend his group would pull out of it.
Also speaking out over the weekend was Ahmad Tohme, who has been tabbed to head a provisional government by the Coalition.
Tohme has yet to form the government, but said in a newspaper interview that he was confident about the opportunity to win back “three-quarters” of those who have joined the ranks of hard-line Islamist groups fighting in Syria....  Tohme noted that he and his team have been holding intensive consultations (Oooh look at you!) with several different civilian and military actors in Syria, as part of efforts to form a government.
The remarks by Sabra are justifiable, but only on moral and humanitarian grounds. The National Coalition eclipsed Sabra and his National Council because they were unable to offer a viable political alternative to the regime in Damascus..... 
As for Tohme, his upbeat tone about conducting consultations with leading elements of the Syrian opposition inside the country would be praiseworthy, if it were the summer or fall of 2011, and not a few months shy of 2014.
The Syrian people have heard enough about opposition figures consulting with each other.... (his) wager inspires confidence in very few people..."