From Missile Strikes to Mission Creep

A war that begins to punish Assad for using chemical weapons is likely to turn into a grander campaign to overthrow the Syrian tyrant. Obama is about to walk the road to Damascus: the president who sought to end Middle Eastern conflict will convert to the goal of violent regime change.    

When the White House first outlined the use of force in Syria, the aims were described as limited, controlled, and proportionate. Missile strikes would chastise Assad, degrade his military forces, and deter the further use of chemical weapons--a quick punitive expedition. Washington has long hoped for Assad's departure as part of a new transitional regime in Syria, but this was not the immediate objective. "I want to make clear," said White House spokesman Jay Carney: "the options that we are considering are not about regime change."

But if it isn't a war for regime change already, it may well be soon.

Read more at The Atlantic.