Of Snake Oil, Syria and "Conventional" Slaughter

USA Today says the Putin proposal has the whiff of snake oil about it, but America must seize it because it has something for everyone. For Obama, it's a way out (and a way to avoid the huge embarrassment of a "no" vote in Congress). For Putin, it's a way to one-up Obama and keep his guy Assad in power. And for Assad, well, because best-case scenario

it would take months if not years to reliably bring Syria's massive chemical stockpile under the United Nations' control...Assad could use that time to continue the slaughter that has already killed more than 100,000 Syrians by more conventional means.

Okay, so maybe everyone gets something out of the deal--except for all the Syrians who are likely to be "conventionally" slaughtered.

The UN being the UN--i.e. inept and inattentive--and Assad being Assad--i.e. duplicitous and desperate--there will be no way to verify if the despot has turned over his entire chemistry set. So in terms of winners and losers, it is clear that he and Putin are the biggest winners, and that Obama and Kerry, who were outsmarted by Putin (a potential Nobel Peace Prize winner?), are the biggest losers.