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Remember General David Petraeus? The guy who claimed that as soon as his brilliant comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy (COIN) was implemented in Afghanistan the US would emerge victorious? The "maverick savior of Iraq" as he was christened by neocon historian Viktor David Hanson?

Anyone notice how Iraq and Afghanistan are doing these days? As TAC's Kelley Vlahos noticed recently, the once feverish pro-COIN blogs -- then giddy with the discovery of new ways to remake the world -- are "now-sluggish."

After two colossal failures, Petraeus has crawled out from under his rock of shame to again take up the cause of war-promotion. Heartily endorsing President Obama's request for authorization to use force on Syria, Patraeus betrays the real prize in the sights of the Syria war-promoters: Iran.

Neocon Michael Gerson, the guy who is credited with penning the "smoking gun/mushroom cloud" lie line that helped enable the Iraq war,  is afraid that Congress might strike down Obama’s despicable rush to war in Syria:

A limited military strike may be symbolic. But for Congress to block that strike would be more than symbolic. It would undermine a tangible element of American influence: the perception that the commander in chief is fully in command.

Separation of powers? Gerson either never heard of it, or more likely could care less about it. An iron-fisted commander in chief must “fully” run the show.

It is time for the United States to stop hiding behind such obsolete, formalistic views of the laws of war and embrace a pragmatic approach in keeping with long American practice.

Assad’s crimes are not merely against Syrians but against the civilized world.

“Promoting democracy can be messy in the short-run and isn’t always possible in every circumstance but, in general, it is the best long-term bet for promoting American interests.”