Sunday Roundup

This week, the White House sought to thrust the nation into military action in the Middle East, claiming that its "high confidence" in our intelligence obviated the need to allow U.N. inspectors to complete their work. Sound familiar? It's like a bad summer sequel, with many of the same actors. But like the original, there are many holes in the plot. If "there is no action," the president proclaimed, "that is a danger to our national security." But he didn't say how. Also unexplained: what happens after we strike? Since the decision has been made not to take out Assad, how exactly are we "holding him accountable"? By killing innocent people who had nothing to do with the attack? That actually does affect our security. This time, however, the Coalition of the Unwilling -- one that goes beyond left vs. right -- is much larger. Urging action, John Kerry cautioned: "It is directly related to our credibility." On that he is 100 percent right.