Show of Force

Nothing could be worse than for America to attack Syria without removing either Syria's dictator Assad or that nation's weapons of mass destruction capacity. If all the US is attempting is a brief and symbolic "therapeutic strike", then we and our allies should not fire the first shot. Real casualties, including innocent Syrian civilians, will result even if we and our allies fire only a few standoff weapons (cruise missiles), and unless the strategic balance in Syria is changed or Assad's chemical and biological weapons are completely destroyed, Barack Obama would be better off not joining the conflict at all.