THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

And it appears that US foreign policy regarding Syria is coming from our US ambassador. This is not surprising really given that out Secretary of State appears to be narcoleptic and our Chief Executive is worried about the law on his tail and can't deal with two things at once.

Holding photographs of dead Syrian children after a suspected chemical bomb attack, the United States ambassador to the United Nations warned on Wednesday that her country might take unilateral action if the Security Council failed to respond to the latest atrocity in the Syria war.

Facing her first serious Syria showdown at the Security Council, the ambassador, Nikki R. Haley, also used her remarks at an emergency session to blame Russia for blocking a robust response to the attack on Tuesday on a northern Syrian town, which has incited widespread condemnation. The death toll was reported to exceed 100.

The United States, France and Britain have accused the Syrian government of responsibility and bitterly criticized Russia — Syria’s main ally in the six-year-old war — for objecting to a resolution they drafted condemning the attack. Russia has said insurgents may have been responsible or the attack may have been fabricated.

“Time and time again Russia uses the same false narrative to deflect attention from their allies in Damascus,” Ms. Haley said. “How many more children have to die before Russia cares?”

She closed her remarks with an ominous warning. “When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action,” she said. “For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is finally willing to do the same.”

She did not provide further details. But she squarely blamed the government of President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, as did the Trump administration on Tuesday.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, asked about the attack before his meeting with the Singaporean defense minister, said: “It was a heinous act and will be treated as such.”

This policy may be driven by the Defense Department in the absence of any leadership from the WHite House.