(CNN) -- If you take the long view - and by "long view" we're talking 10 days -- there have been three distinct paths the United States could have taken on Syria. First, way back on August 31, President Barack Obama seemed imminently close to a strike on President Bashar al-Assad's regime. After Labor Day, came a detour toward seeking congressional approval. That effort was overwhelmingly met by the public with a "No thanks. We'll pass." Then this week, thanks to a remark by Secretary of State John Kerry that may or may not have been off the cuff, Obama made a sharp turn -- toward diplomacy.
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Obama stalled the plan of a military strike on Syria
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He said he would give time for a diplomatic plan to work
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Obama had called for action after allegations of chemical attacks in Syria
The good news (according to the @placeholder): Kerry said the looming threat of a strike will prod Syria to play nice.