we re viewed by the syrians at this point. and that really in the end is the shame of it all. you mentioned the refugees, i think the latest number i saw, we should say the president is going to be heading to jordan on friday. 450,000 syrians have fled there. the refugee camps are absolutely overwhelmed. michael, do you agree with the ambassador that the u.s., though, is marginalized in all of this? unfortunately, i think, ambassador ginsburg is exactly right. that the united states seems oddly sort of paralyzed on this issue. and we are moving very incrementally, very slowly. and our allies in the region just don t really understand it. you know, i was testifying at the senate foreign relations committee yesterday, and the international representatives, the ngo representatives who had been to the refugee camps are reporting that people are resentful toward the united states, even more so, perhaps, than countries like russia because they see us as their natural ally, their friends
that we have engaged in over syria is for all intents and purposes is not going to really change the equation on the ground. we have so marginalized ourselves with respect to the events on the ground in syria. the rule and reason that the united states could comply is more or less dissipated. most are furious at the united states for not doing enough, depending on which side you talk to and which group you can wind up talking to. and so this debate, there s a dysfunction dysfunctionalty. almost an incomprehensible gulf between the debate here in the united states about arming the rebels and the fact that there are 70,000 people dead already, hundreds of thousands who are refugees, and most of the syrians who are sitting in those refugee camps will never give the united states credit for maybe finally what are we going to wait for? another 30,000 to be killed before we finally reach that point? it s really not going to make any difference inso far as how