Divider or Uniter?

Sure, you can make the case that Obama has divided the US as never before along racial and economic lines. But Obama isn't a small minded regional player; he thinks globally. And now he seems to have united Russia and China, at least in regards to the Middle East.

It's  strange, feeling that something good might come from those two intervening in Syria and/or Iraq. But if they don't fight the war on global terror, who will? Obama seemed to harass ISIS to just the extent necessary to be able to claim involvement.

Another thing I've been wondering about: If Obama was a timid man, so afraid of making mistakes that he, in essence, only voted "present" on the international stage -- how would that man be distinguishable from the Obama we've seen over these last 6 years? Yeah, he continued the hunt for Osama bin Laden, but that was a no-brainer.

Obama's boldest move was to completely withdraw from Iraq despite predictions from every side that it would bring about, well, the current situation. But he waited until he was able to blame the withdrawal on a breakdown in Status of Forces negotiations. It was riskier to push hard for a SOFA and be responsible for 5,000 troops than to just throw up his hands and blame the Iraqi government.

Now the initiative has been taken from Obama in Syria. I don't think Obama sees Russian involvement as a humiliation, I think he's secretly happy that the ball's not in his court. He may make some face saving gestures but no bold action is required of him now. He's off the hook.