This is a pissing contest. Putin is testing to see if Trump will back down. Russia will not do jack if we strike. That’s my assesment.
If these cards don’t play right though and neither back down then…
There is such a complex dynamic over there between governments, rebel groups competing ideology and religious fanatacism. Not to mention Israel. It could get ugly quick.

Another little lesson on the long term consequences of the decision to invade Iraq.

Wait a minute! Putin and Trump are bed buddies! How can THIS be?

@Yellowdog – mostly wondering for that exact reason… why would you tell someone you’re going to attack, especially after making such a big deal out of not telegraphing any offensive.

I’d bet everyone comes out looking strong for their own audience. If I’m wrong, I’ll concede they aren’t working together. But I’d guess everyone comes through on their word, and then hugs to proclaim a new peace with less sanctions as proof of good will once public opinion solidifies showing we really don’t want a war with Russia in Syria.

Yay rich guys and trade. Sorry about all the bodies.

We all sing this (Tom Lehrer’s song about WW III)

link

Well, @Yellowdog assertions that Trump’s friendship with Putin has kept us safe from Russia will be out the window.

I suppose it’s not possible or even thinkable that Trump and Putin have agreed to put on a show in a proxy conflict (not on the home soil of either) to satisfy the folks at home, without either of them really getting hurt and with plenty of distractors for the home folks who keep noticing their shortcomings.

The question is, if the Orangutan causes WW3 by attacking the Russians, will the rest of NATO be forced to help the orange aggressor?

I think it’s “Wag the Dog” to distract us from the investigation although I wouldn’t put it past either country to engage in war. I don’t think it would start a world war; I think Putin (or Poutine as the French call him) is too smart to go that far.

I heard today that Macron has drawn a red line so yes, I think NATO would be drawn in. I’m no advocate of war of any kind but gassing civilians is against several accords.

Rumpo will blame that “War Monger” Hillary.

While the missiles are coming in !

It’s a bluff.

It could be very bad. Lots of dominoes would start falling. Lots of some of the most important decisions in human history would have to be made by a unqualified, poorly educated, insecure man, who is in WAY over his head.

Putin is definitely testing the world. NATO should be beefing up. Dangerous times…

Trump does not act in rash, impulsive ways as you suggest. He has surrounded himself with experts and generally lets the military do what they do or think best. I’m sure he would consult with his National Security Team—that is why he generally is right about an outcome.

I certainly don’t see him as insecure. If anything, he fails to recognize how strong the hate and vitriol is, especially among college students and millennials. The real problem would not be Russia—and the U.K,. and France are considering joining the U.S. if we act. The real problem is the U.S. itself. There are tens of millions of people in the U.S. who would LOVE to destroy as much in the country as they could in a faux protest to demonstrate hate of Trump, pretending like its a ‘peace protest’ or something similar.

In recent decades, politicians on the Left have appeased dictators with hundreds of billions of dollars in a pathetic effort at keeping peace. This is why we have the mess we have today. North Korea, Syria, Russia. and Iraq are deathly and fatal threats to the regions they are located and to the U.S. and much of the policies of Obama and the Clintons are the reason. We are now having to deal with these threats to world peace—chemicals, gas, scorched earth policies, are all at the dispersal of our enemies. Trump did not create this fiasco.

Trump and our National Security Team are the only possibility of dealing with this threat, and England and France at least are prepared to join us, as many other nations of the free world. I am far more afraid of the deranged masses in the U.S. who will create their own holocaust of the U.S. pretending its a “Peace Protest” against Trump.

Also, Trump is not ‘uneducated’—he has a Bachelor of Science in economics from the university of Pennsylvania—thus explaining why the economy is recovering liike never before—and has a vast military education as well. Our nations enemies come to the table and actually negotiate. Our nation’s left continues to decimate the country.

^Wow. Just wow….

Triple WOW !

I see your WOW and up you an OMG!!

His dad may have paid off the school to give his widdle boy some sort of bogus degree, but the man remains uneducated. It reads and writes at a 4th grade level.

And he is extremely insecure. No secure man brags about the size of his penis on national TV. You KNOW he lays awake at night wondering if it’s true what they say about black men. Obama is his nemesis. Obama is everything Trump wishes he could be but he can’t. He will never have the respect that Obama has.

The extremes being written here make my head spin, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

It is an odd dynamic we’re watching right now…

Trump Scraps New Sanctions Against Russia, Overruling Advisers

The president’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, had announced on Sunday that the administration would place sanctions on Russian companies found to be assisting Syria’s chemical weapons program. The sanctions were listed on a menu of further government options after an American-led airstrike on Syria, retaliating against a suspected gas attack that killed dozens a week earlier.

But the White House contradicted her on Monday, saying that Mr. Trump had not approved additional measures.

^Trump is not in collusion with Russia. He is their employee. I do believe that they have buyer’s remorse though…