So ... Congress, who wants a say in this, is still off on its recess?
The way I'd put it is this:
(1) British Parliament isn't in; Obama lost his key ally for this one.
(2) Congress wants in.
(3) Facing a broad spectrum of political pressure against a unilateral executive decision, Obama now awaits Congress' advice.
(4) But it's not important enough to Congressional leaders to bring Congress back early.
What would you like him to do? Sit at his desk, pissing himself and chewing his nails, until Congress gets back?
Optics are generally a poor metric, as they depend less on fact than perception and political presupposition.
You ask Joe why he's making this about politics? Because that's what the delay is about. To wit, Congressional leaders may not be back from their vacations, but their staffers are busy sharpening knives for the argument that will result if Congress refuses to authorize the president to act. For the House Republican caucus, especially, this isn't really about Syria or the Syrians; this human crisis is an opportunity to go after the president.
Meanwhile, in truth, I'm rather quite dazzled by the degree to which the press and punditry are caught off guard by the delay. Certes, it's an interesting development, but we've apparently become so accustomed to imperial presidencies that it is somehow a stunning political maneuver that Obama has checked the bet.
Remember that democracy is the last refuge of the scoundrel. When a president has
nobody behind him, he hands the mess off to Congress. It's the American way.