VOA reports: The United States says the United Nations Security Council has “utterly failed” after Russia and China vetoed a resolution threatening Syria with sanctions if it does not halt the violence.

Ambassador Susan Rice called the vetoes dangerous and deplorable. She said the Council’s failure to act is a recipe for more violence, terrorism, and a war that could engulf the entire region.

The resolution would have extended the U.N. monitoring mission in Syria. It also threatened sanctions against the Assad government if it did not stop using heavy weapons against rebels and civilians within 10 days. Additionally, the measure demanded that Mr. Assad implement envoy Kofi Annan’s plan for a peaceful political transition.

As the UNSC engaged in its deliberations today, those absorbed in this international show of earnestness might have paused to collectively and individually asked themselves a simple question: Is anyone in Syria holding their breath, awaiting the outcome of the vote?

I suspect that for most Syrians the words of “Omar” from the Revolution Leadership Council in Damascus resonate more clearly than anything Susan Rice or anyone else in New York might have to say.