New York Times Editorial: "The Arab States and Syria"

In an opinion piece entitled "The Arab States and Syria" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/opinion/the-arab-states-and-syria.html?_r=1&ref=opinion), the editorial board of The New York Times writes:

"It took far too long, but the cruelty of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has finally registered with his Arab neighbors. They are speaking out against a reign of terror that has claimed the lives of as many as 1,600 courageous Syrians since pro-democracy protests began in March.

. . . .

The fact that they waited so long is a disgrace. Mr. Assad — a member of Islam’s minority Alawite sect — has escalated the violence dramatically, with brutal tank assaults on two mainly Sunni cities. Not even the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has deterred him."

Excuse me, but what does this say about the refusal of Obama to recall US Ambassador Ford from Damascus. Bypassing Senate confirmation and seeking to avoid public scrutiny by acting while many were on holiday, Obama appointed Ford as ambassador to Syria at the end of December 2010. Hasn't this also taken "far too long"?

I would only add that although the editorial mentions the 1,600 persons known to have been murdered by Assad in recent months, it ignores the some 3,000 additional Syrian civilians, including children, who have "disappeared" (see: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/07/28/syria.disappeared.website/index.html?hpt=hp_mid).