Former US Congressman Allen West has said President Barack Obama's going to Congress for approval for military action in Syria is intended to make the lawmakers a scapegoat if things go wrong.

That is probably true.

Otherwise, it is hard to explain why Obama has suddenly changed course and taken Congress seriously. Throughout his past four years and seven months in office, Congress has repeatedly tried to block his plans with many successes. In return, Obama rails against Capitol Hill, calling it "increasingly dysfunctional".