At the same time, U.S. military officials believe the battle for Qusayr shows that Mr. Assad and his allies are trying to solidify their control over a key transit point, which would deal a blow to the opposition.
With further mention of topical issues such as immigration reform and gun control, Obama came to his keypoint -- that adhering to America's bedrock principles requires taking action on today's challenges.
Benghazi is so dangerous because it replaces the key talking point Obama has long used to continue to discredit Republicans, after he had gained control of Iraq policy, in the one area of governance where their legitimacy and trustworthiness had been historically unquestioned.