In London exile in 1940, Charles de Gaulle decided "it was up to
me to take responsibility for France" ("c'etait a moi d'assumer
la France"). No U.S. president should assume he is, as de Gaulle
almost mystically did, the nation, or is solely responsible for
it. Remember this tonight when Barack Obama defends his choice
to attack Syria.  U.S. power and security are somewhat dependent
on a president's stature, which should not be diminished
unnecessarily. Neither, however, should America's well-being be
equated with a president's policy preferences or political
health. The real but limited importance of presidential
prestige, and the real but limited diminution of it that would
come from blocking Obama's attack, both matter. But so do the
manifest and manifold weaknesses of his argument.  George
Orwell, who said insincerity is the enemy of clear language,
would understand why our government talks of "quantitative
easing" rather than printing money and uses "enhanced
interrogation" and "extraordinary rendition"