I do not understand why the news media is shocked and surprised that Obama will be able to finesse himself out of the mess in Syria by having Russia intervene and keep Assad from using his chemical weapons.
I wrote a diary on Daily Kos that predicted this result. I said:
In back-channels, the US meanwhile tries to broker a deal with Assad to get assurance coupled with a monitoring system (run by perhaps Russia or the UN) that no chemical weapons would be used in the future-which is the best outcome the proposed military strike could achieve.