When Congress reconvenes, the top item of business will be what to do about Syria. We generally steer clear of politics on this page, and we will not take on the important political issues here and abroad, hard as that is to avoid. We write instead because the Syrian question — whether to punish the regime of Bashar al-Assad militarily for its use of poison gas — raises fundamental issues to which all members of the bar, indeed, all citizens, ought to give careful attention. These questions are much more important than whether Assad can taunt President Barack Obama for failing to carry through on his threat of a punitive operation.
To recap:
