President Obama’s decision to provide weapons to rebels in Syria has the potential to become another foreign policy blunder at a time when the Nobel Prize winner’s second term is mired in scandal. Obama had been saying for months that he would not send troops into the region, but has now stationed 300 troops just outside Syria on its border with Jordan. Obama attributes the abrupt escalation in U.S. involvement to the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But another factor could be Obama’s desire to appear tough on the issue during the G8 summit this week and to divert attention from the IRS, NSA and Benghazi scandals.

Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin deny that chemical weapons were used, but reports of their possible use have circulated for months. Trusting Syria and Russia on this issue would require a complete suspension of disbelief just when Obama needs verified facts, not ideological fantasies, as he edges America closer to intervening in a bloody Middle East civil war.