Hindsight is 20-20 and examining events from the perspective of what could have or should have happened is usually an exercise in futility.  Except when the stakes are high and the path that wasn't taken could have altered our current history. We've known for years that the CIA was urging President Obama to arm the largely secular Free Syrian Army to give them a chance to overthrow  President Bashar Assad of Syria. This was  before Syria's use of chemical weapons, before Islamic State broke away from al-Qaeda, and before the refugee situation that led to a mass exodus from the Middle East. In August of 2011, President Obama called on President Assad to "step aside" for the good of the Syrian people. Over the next several months, Obama repeated that call for Assad's ouster. Now, a book to be published this week, reveals a plan supported by most of the intelligence community to overthrow the Syrian dictator and make good the...(Read Full Post)