Can the Bombing of Syria Be Stopped?

Whip counts show movement toward defeat in the House of Representatives, and a few individual members report overwhelming opposition to intervention from constituents.  And so Patrick Smith makes the interesting point that the manufacturing of consent is no longer possible--instead we may see the manufacturing of the appearance of consent.  Will it be possible for Congress to do the right thing?

Update (September 8):  White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough admits that the US doesn't have concrete evidence that Syrian President Assad ordered the chemical attacks of August 21.  German newspaper Bild am Sonntag cites German intelligence that the Syrian military acted without Assad's order.

Update (September 9):  Russia proposes to put Syria's chemical weapons under international control. Apparently this stemmed from a comment from Secretary of State Kerry, who dismissed the possibility Syria would agree.  A vote in the Senate about a US strike on Syria has been postponed.

Update (September 10):  Syria is reported to be committed to the Russian proposal.

Update (September 13):  Syria has signed the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Update (September 14):  The United States and Russia have reached an agreement over Syria's chemical weapons.  It is characterized as very difficult, but doable.  The use of force at a later time is not ruled out.

Update (September 27):  The UN Security Council reached agreement on a resolution to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.