OUCH: Conan: Syria’s Assad called Pres Obama “weak.” Obama was so angry he plans to ask Congress for permission to think up a good comeback.

JIM TREACHER: “I’m fine with Obama invading Syria for war crimes. Just don’t pretend it’s any different than what you’ve been screaming about for 10 years.”

AT AMAZON, Top Deals in Electronics.

Also, new and notable books in History.

JIM GERAGHTY: Democrats’ “Smart Power” Lies In Ruins. With bonus recollections of Andrew Sullivan’s early enthusiasms. “This was not some drunken screed (as far as we know); this was a cover piece in The Atlantic magazine. The chattering classes considered this serious thought back in December 2007.”

BRYAN PRESTON: ‘To my knowledge, I have no knowledge’ — The Best Tweets During the Kerry-Hagel Buttfumble Briefing on Syria.

SMART DIPLOMACY: “Let’s give Hillary some credit for ducking out at the right moment…. hitting her own reset button… leaving Obama in the… shall we say?… lurch.”

IT’S EXCEPTIONALLY SHALLOW BULLYING, TOO: Video captures professorial “bullying.”

HEH: A new twist on that “Miss Me Yet?” image. I’d love to be able to make this appear on screens in the Situation Room. . . .

TIM CARNEY: The unwisdom of attacking Syria, in five links.

Related: Pew: Most Americans Against Attacking Syria.

VIDEO: John Kerry Under Questioning From Rand Paul. “Pay attention as Paul delivers his questions. Stay tuned for the end as Kerry is left flailing for help, only to receive none.”

RONALD COASE MEMORIAL TIDBIT: Greg Mankiw: The Coase Theorem In Action.

GLOBAL TEST: U.N. Chief Warns Against Strike on Syria.

SPACE: A/B Test: Comparing the Magnificent Spaceships of Orbital Sciences and SpaceX.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: 6 Ways Activists Sabotage Their Cause.

AT AMAZON, warehouse deals in Home Improvement.

AXIS OF INEPTITUDE: My USA Today column on the Obama/Hillary/Kerry foreign policy debacle.

WAIT, SHOULDN’T THE STATE DEPARTMENT BE ON THIS LIST? 8 Disaster Tourism Sites.

YES, PLEASE: An 84-person Inflatable Commercial Space Station.

THE CARNIVAL OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IS UP.

ANSWERING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Why Weddings Make Women Crazy… Before They Even Get Engaged.

AXIS OF INEPTITUDE: My USA Today column on the Obama/Hillary/Kerry foreign policy debacle.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Job-Application Advice For Aspiring Media Folks. Looks solid to me.

THE CARNIVAL OF SPACE IS UP!

TAKING A RIDE IN THE semi-autonomous Nissan Leaf. “That Nissan can incorporate many autonomous capabilities already in development by other companies into a single car is more the product of careful timing rather than engineering prowess—but it is a sign that the technology is nearly there. Putting semi-autonomous cars into production may be more a legal problem than an engineering one, requiring any automaker to navigate a regulatory course fraught with issues such as, who’s liable for an accident once the car is in semi-autonomous mode? Is it the driver who pushes the button, or the company who put it there? That’s an obstruction no computer can navigate around.”

Here’s my review of the regular Nissan Leaf.

READER BOOK PLUG: From reader Dawn Martinez-Byrne, The Year of the Dinosaur.