Trump Puts Boots On The Ground In Syria... Right Next To Russian Troops

A REPORT IN THE MILITARY TIMES THAT WAS SADLY UNDEREMPHASIZED,
THEY REPORT THAT APPROXIMATELY 100 ELITE ARMY RANGERS ARE IN A
CITY IN SYRIA TO KEEP THE PEACE BETWEEN SYRIAN AND KURDISH
FORCES AND THOSE LOYAL TO TURKEY, ACCORDING TO A PENTAGON
SPOKESPERSON.
MOST NOTABLE IS THAT RUSSIAN TROOPS ARE IN THE
SAME CITY, AND THEY ARE THERE PROVIDING SECURITY FOR
HUMANITARIAN CONVOYS THAT HAVE ENTERED THE WAR-TORN CITY,
DEVELOPMENT HE CALLED UNSURPRISING IN LIGHT OF RECENT
HIGH-LEVEL TALKS BETWEEN MILITARY COMMANDERS FROM RUSSIA,
TURKEY, AND THE U.S. THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT -- UNITED
STATES MILITARY PERSONNEL ARE NOW EXTREMELY PHYSICALLY
PROXIMATE TO RUSSIAN FORCES IN THE VERY SAME CITY IN ONE OF THE
MOST VOLATILE PLACES IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.
WHAT COULD THAT
LEAD TO?
IF THERE IS SOME KIND OF MISCOMMUNICATION OR MISHAP OR
SOME KIND OF FRIENDLY FIRE INCIDENT, IT'S NOT UNIMAGINABLE
TO FORESEE THAT RESULTING IN SOME KIND OF UNEXPECTED
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN U.S. AND RUSSIAN FORCES, GIVEN HOW
PHYSICALLY PROXIMATE THEY ARE. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY I AND JORDAN AND SOME OTHERS NOT TO GET AHEAD OF THEMSELVES
IN RAMPING UP THIS RUSSIA RELATED FEAR MONGERING ON THE
DOMESTIC FRONT.
BECAUSE THE RESULT IS THAT TRUMP WILL FEAR
PRESSURE TO DEMONSTRATE HIS ANTI-RUSSIA BONA FIDES, AND IF
THERE'S EVER A SITUATION THAT ARISES WHERE THERE IS SOME KIND
OF MILITARY INCIDENT IN THIS PARTICULAR CITY, TRUMP COULD
FEEL COMPELLED TO TAKE RASH MILITARY ACTION AND WHO KNOWS
WHAT THAT COULD ESCALATE IN?
>>THAT'S ONE SIDE OF IT.
THE OTHER SIDE IS, IT'S NEVER A GOOD
IDEA TO HAVE THAT MANY ARMIES NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
IT'S NOT
JUST THAT IT'S THE U.S. AND RUSSIA AND WE'VE BEEN KIND OF
ENEMIES FOR A WHILE, I GUESS NOW WE ARE BFFs -- DO PEOPLE SAY
THAT ANYMORE?
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER?
>>MILLENNIALS STILL USE IT.
>>I GUESS TRUMP WOULD BE BIFFY AND PUTIN WOULD BE BUFFY -- BUT
YOU ALSO HAVE THE RUSSIAN FORCES, KURDISH AND TURKISH
FORCES, ARMIES WITH TANKS, AMERICANS HAVE THE GIANT
AMERICAN FLAG, DON'T FIRE AT THESE, THESE ARE AMERICAN, BUT
WHAT IT DOES IS IT GIVES SOMEBODY AN INCENTIVE TO TAKE A
POT SHOT AT OUR GUYS.
WE HAVE 1000 GUYS THERE, OBAMA SAID
THERE WERE NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND, ARE THEY WEARING
SLIPPERS?
BECAUSE THERE ARE 1000 OF THEM AND THEY APPEAR TO BE ON
THE GROUND.
OBAMA ORDERED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE, TRUMP -- WHO
SAID HE WASN'T GOING TO GET INVOLVED -- IS GETTING FURTHER
INVOLVED, HE BROUGHT IN MORE TROOPS, NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN
THERE ARE REAL AMERICANS WITH REAL TANKS SITTING IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE REAL CIVIL WAR IN SYRIA, AND ANY ONE OF THOSE GUYS COULD
TAKE A SHOT AT OUR GUYS AND WE FIREBACK AND WE ACCIDENTALLY
HIT WHO KNOWS WHO, THEN THEY FIREBACK AND WE ARE IN THE
MIDDLE OF HOLY HELL.
>>AND WIN HAVE U.S. FORCES SUCCESSFULLY MEDIATED CIVIL
STRIFE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY?
THE TRACK RECORD OF THAT PARTICULAR
TACTIC IS SO ABYSMAL, THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN
POSITIONS OF POWER WHO STILL FEEL THAT'S A WORTHWHILE
EXERCISE IS BAFFLING.
>>ONE QUESTION, I'M NOT TAKING AN OPINION, BUT WHAT WOULD
HAPPEN IF THE U.S.
FORCES WERE NOT THERE?
>>THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, I THINK IT IS AN INTERESTING ONE,
AND I DON'T WANT PEOPLE THINKING THIS IS A BLACK-AND-WHITE ISSUE
AND THERE ARE NO DOWNSIDES TO ANY OF THESE PROPOSALS.
THERE
ARE DOWNSIDES TO EVERY PROPOSAL.
IT IS POSSIBLE, AND THE REASON
WE ARE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND I BELIEVE THEM, IS THAT IF
WE WEREN'T, THE TWO SIDES THAT ARE THE SYRIAN SIDES WOULD
IMMEDIATELY CLASH.
AND WHEN THEY DID, TURKEY, WHO IS NOT IN FAVOR
OF THE KURDS, CONSIDERS THE KURDS IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA TO
BE TERRORISTS -- ANYONE YOU ARE OPPOSED TO IS NOW A TERRORIST OF
COURSE -- BUT THERE ARE REAL KURDISH TERRORISTS IN TURKEY, WE
ARE IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY HERE IN SYRIA, BUT ACCORDING TO THE
TURKISH GOVERNMENT THEY ARE ALL TERRORISTS, THEY MIGHT SAY WE
HAVE TO GO GET THE TERRORISTS, THEY ARE FIGHTING AGAINST THE
PEOPLE I SUPPORT.
TURKEY IS THERE, AND SO AMERICA I THINK IS
LEGITIMATELY TRYING TO GO HEY, COOL IT.
TURKEY, YOU ARE OUR
ALLY, YOU WANT TO FIRE AT AMERICAN TANKS, THAT'S A
DISASTER FOR YOU, SO DON'T CROSS THIS LINE, INCLUDING YOUR SYRIAN
FRIENDS, AND EVERYONE HAS SYRIAN FRIENDS ON ALL DIFFERENT SIDES.
THERE TRYING TO KEEP THE PEACE.
TO MICHAEL'S POINT WE DON'T HAVE
A GREAT TRACK RECORD OF DOING THAT, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED IN
LEBANON.
WHEN REAGAN WAS IN OFFICE WE SENT MARINES THERE AND
THEY WERE SITTING THERE LIKE SITTING DUCKS, THEY GOT BOMBED
BY HEZBOLLAH, AND WHAT REAGAN DOES IS WE'VE GOT TO CUT
AND RUN.
SO THEY LEFT.
>>AND THE BURDEN OF PROOF SHOULD BE ON THOSE WHO ARE ASSERTING
THAT MILITARY INTERVENTION IS WARRANTED, NOT ON THE SKEPTICS
TO SAY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THEY AREN'T THERE?
YOU SAY THEY SHOULD BE THERE SO YOU SHOULD JUSTIFY IT.
>>THIS GOES BACK TO BROKEN CAMPAIGN PROMISES, I CAN'T TELL
YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE I INTERVIEWED AT TRUMP RALLIES,
THEY WERE LIKE I WANT TO FOCUS ON MY JOBS, MY SCHOOLS, NOT
MONEY OVERSEAS.
AND TRUMP WAS TELLING THEM HE WASN'T GOING TO
SEND TROOPS ELSEWHERE.
HE JUST SAID I'M GOING TO BOMB THE HELL
OUT OF THEM.
>>I WENT TO A DINNER PARTY LAST WEEK AND SOMEONE SAID THAT AT
THE TABLE, A TRUMP SUPPORTER, I THINK WE SHOULD JUST BOMB THE
WHOLE AREA.
I WAS LIKE, WHAT WHOLE AREA?
>>BUT THEY SPECIFICALLY SAID WE DON'T WANT MORE TROOPS OVERSEAS,
WE DON'T WANT TO GET ENTANGLED, WE JUST WANT TO BOMB THEM.
OBVIOUSLY THOSE TWO THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE.
>>YOU HAVE TO BE INORDINATELY CAREFUL HERE.
IF YOU ARE GOING
TO DO THIS, YOU HAVE TO BE EXCEEDINGLY CAREFUL HOW YOU
STRIKE THAT BALANCE BECAUSE IF WE ARE RIGHT AND ANYTHING
SLIGHTLY GOES WRONG AND ALL OF A SUDDEN OUR GUYS ARE FIRED UPON
ENTRY OF THEM DIE, 38 OF THEM DIE, NOW TRUMP IS IN A NO-WIN
SITUATION.
IF HE PULLS OUT AND SAYS I TOLD YOU I WASN'T GOING
TO GET INVOLVED IN THAT MESS, PEOPLE WILL SAY YOU LET 38 OF
OUR GUYS DIE AND DID NOTHING?
THAT'S INCREDIBLY WEAK.
OR HE
HAS TO SAY I'M STAYING AND I WILL BRING MORE TROOPS TO SHOW
THEM HOW STRONG I AM, I WON'T LET THEM ATTACK AMERICANS.
WHO
DID IT?
THE RUSSIANS?
WAIT, I WORK FOR THEM.
EITHER WAY IT'S
NOT A GOOD SITUATION FOR TRUMP.
DO YOU TRUST THAT TRUMP
WILL WALK THAT LINE CAREFULLY AND JUDICIOUSLY?

Trump Puts Boots On The Ground In Syria... Right Next To Russian Troops

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