US President Barack Obama spoke passionately at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom led by Martin Luther King Jr. on Aug 28, 1963. But the two African Americans appear starkly different despite both being Nobel Peace Prize winners.

While King, a civil rights leader, is widely known for his advocacy of non-violence even in the face of violent police action against blacks, Obama feels compelled to use force against Syria. It is another matter that he is on record saying that there is no military resolution to the Syrian crisis.

Obama did not even bother to get the authorization of the United Nations Security Council before considering an attack on Syria for the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Bashar al-Assad government, an accusation that has not convinced the world.