I didn’t expect Trump’s missile strikes to change much on the ground in Syria and, in a way, that was a point in their favor. So long as it was a response to the use of chemical weapons and not a commitment to become heavily involved in one side of a multifaceted civil war, then it could be seen as an effort to deter further use of chemical weapons and nothing more.
But, it’s pathetic to see the Syrian air force still using the same air strip that we supposedly blasted with 59 very expensive tomahawk weapons, and a pretty direct challenge to Trump’s manhood to see them continue to bomb the same city that suffered from the sarin attack. I honestly have to put much of the blame here on the military advisers who sold a plan to Trump that was simultaneously ineffective, costly in dollars, and provocative in several respects. If you’re going to disable an air base, then at least disable it. What they’ve done is make Trump look weak and stupid, which is a good way to get him to escalate, but not exactly fair to him. He’s no expert in aerial munitions or their likely impact on a target. Few presidents would be.
With Trump in the Oval Office commanding our foreign affairs, we’re already in a heap of trouble, so the military needs to work overtime to demonstrate the ability to be the adults and show a high level of competency. Trump has every right to be pissed off at them right now for overpromising and underdelivering.
And they’ve put themselves in a bind now, both because Trump is looking like a fool and will feel the need to fix that impression, and because Trump is less inclined to listen to their advice and guidance.
They’ve just taken a dangerous situation and made it several times more dangerous.
