Regardless of the regional apocalypse: 'Let's do it!'

"...But let’s not sugarcoat the option. Intervention in Syria, however indirect, carries real risks. Colin Powell was wrong about WMD in Iraq, but he was right about the Pottery Barn rule: you break it, you bought it. President Obama’s instinctive desire to minimize American exposure to what is virtually certain to be a nasty post-Assad situation in Syria is rooted in serious and sensible concerns.
At Via Meadia, we endorsed the idea of arming the rebels faster and earlier, despite our Pottery Barn rule qualms, because we believed that the impact of change in Syria on Iran’s thinking was worth the risks and costs........Unfortunately, jumping in now is very problematic. We’ve already incurred most of the costs of inaction, and if we act, we’ll face a new set of unpredictable risks. But on balance, the chance that helping the Syrian people push the Assad regime out the door will induce the Iranians to see the wisdom of compromise continues to tip the scales toward helping the Syrian rebels ..."