Obama and Kerry were professional and competent in dealing with Syria under the circumstances of the time, as they were known at that time. Their goal was to cool down the conflict so far as within their power and to avoid the U.S. being ensnared in a complex civil war. They wanted to do what was possible to protect innocent Syrian lives, but not at the cost of American lives. And they wanted to work within the framework of the international community of nations. They were concerned about the possibility of Russian interference for purely self-serving reasons. It was a professional, level headed approach to a political mess and humanitarian crisis. As Americans we should be pleased with the competent way our government responded to the civil war by attempting to be a constructive influence on the warring parties. Our official position was that we wanted Assad to go and let the Syrian people decide their fate, but we, at the same time, kept a grip on reality. This is quite an auspicious effort even if the results are not ultimately what we would have wished for. My personal assessment is that John Kerry will be recognized as among the most effective, and forward thinking, of American Statesmen in U.S. history to date.