Red lines

It's climbdown time:

President Barack Obama is calling a possible chemical weapons attack in Syria "big event of grave concern."

Obama says the U.S. is still seeking confirmation that toxic gases were used in Syria. But he says such actions are "very troublesome" and are going to "require America's attention."

That's a far cry from the "red line" rhetoric we heard earlier. The lesson is becoming clear, though: you don't have to pay much attention to any threats that this president makes, especially if you're a butcher like Bashar Assad.