In one of the familiar dialogues from the "Seinfeld" comedy series, George Costanza returns from a visit to the doctor, worried and complaining. "When I asked him if it was cancer, he didn't give me a 'get out of here.' That's what I wanted to hear. 'Cancer? Get out of here!'"
This is an answer that a responsible physician does not rush to dispense, but one that the Obama administration has been disseminating very generously for several years already (at least its implied message, if not expressly). Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threatens, and the American government responds by saying, "Chemical weapons? He won’t dare use them. Against civilians, against children? Get out of here." Because if he dares, that will be a red line. After all, America sent him "messages," and for some reason America also thought that Assad "understood" those messages.
