Things are not improving in Syria. Despite assurances by the Obama administration that its cautious response would quickly topple Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and bring peace and prosperity, the country has spiraled deeper into chaos. That has State Secretary John Kerry recycling the possibility of a military response. “Ultimately, a combination of diplomacy and pressure will be needed to bring about a political transition,” the state secretary said on Thursday. “Military pressure particularly may be necessary given President Assad’s reluctance to negotiate seriously.” That’s all well and good, but, in case you haven’t noticed, the Syrian civil war has been raging now for four years. And it was Kerry who in Sept. 2013 declared, “We will be able to hold Bashar Assad accountable without engaging in troops on the ground, or any other prolonged kind of effort, in a very limited, very targeted, very short-term effort.” And whatever we do there, he added, will be an “unbelievably small, limited kind of effort.” Of course, even a small and limited effort proved too burdensome. As Hot Air’s Noah Rothman noted, “The White House had its chance to prevent a conflagration in the Middle East, and they passed on it in the name of political expediency. Today, the world is unquestionably worse off for the administration’s cowardice.” Indeed, it’s hard to stay ahead when you’re leading from behind. And when you do finally see the light, it’s too little, too late. More…