By now you are probably aware that Secretary of State John Kerry said in response to a question during a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London that U.S. military action against Syria could be averted if Syria surrendered its chemical weapons. Within hours of Kerry’s off the cuff remark, the Russians indicated that Syria was amenable to such an arrrangement despite efforts by the State Department to walk back Kerry’s remarks.

Now I am disclined to believe that Syria will be forthcoming in turning over their chemical weapon stocks to the international community in one week’s time. However, if the Obama Administration doesn’t have the votes in the House to approve military action this could be a face-saving measure for the White House. 

If such an agreement were to prevent U.S. military action against Syria then I would not be surprised if Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Many would be aghast, but it would be interesting for no other reason than to see the spectacle of how chummy Putin and Kerry would be at the Nobel dinner in Norway. A few days ago, Putin called Kerry “a liar” concerning the extent of al Qaeda’s involvement amongst the Syrian rebels.