[spokeshave]

On the other hand, he could lob a half-a-billion bucks in Tomahawks on empty targets and sit back while the MSM treats him like the second coming of Alexander the Great

The Russians will see the launch....and will fire off a swarm of their supersonic ship-killer missiles.

Assad also is reported to have at least 72 of these puppies...

In fact, the P-800 Yakhont anti-ship missiles that Russia has equipped Syria with are the most advanced anti-ship missiles that Russia has.

When the United States strikes Syria, they might be quite surprised at how hard Syria can hit back.

The Syrian military is the most formidable adversary that the U.S. military has tangled with in the Middle East by far.

From Syria, P-800 Yakhont anti-ship missiles can cover much of the eastern Mediterranean and can even reach air bases in Cyprus.

If the U.S. Navy is not very careful to stay out of range, we could easily see footage of destroyed U.S. naval vessels sinking into the Mediterranean Sea on the evening news. And once the American people see such footage, it will be impossible to stop a full-blown war between the United States and Syria.

[Kenny Bunk]

When the United States strikes Syria, they might be quite surprised at how hard Syria can hit back.

Our ships are definitely already in harm's way. In addition to the shore-mounted anti-ship missiles, which are probably manned by Russians, there are always the ubiquitous Bear Bomberss that are primed and cocked 24/7 with 1,500 mile+ anti-ship missiles.

I think The Mombasa MF is fully intended to play high-stakes 'chicken' with the Russkis, daring them to support their ally. Hero time, in which the scandals will pale in comparison to the dangers of combat under a wannabe "war-time President," just like FDR. Will the Russkis 'blink first,' or has The Mombasa MF already blinked?

Wag the Dog. It has always been the ultimate "safety valve" for troubled administrations.

[keat]

...and can even reach air bases in Cyprus.

Well, they won't have to worry about that because Putin has taken Cyprus out of play for the US.