Someone said Trump’s missile strike on Syria showed “there was a new Sheriff in town.” Well, if so his vision is lousy, and his aim stinks.
First of all, Trump and henchman Secretary of State Tillerson may have indirectly helped precipitate the horrific chemical weapons attack last week. Their previous often-stated policy was that Syria doesn't matter to us, or the Syrians will decide their own future. It isn't unknown for dictators to test new presidents, and perhaps Assad was doing so with Trump. Trump’s avowed hands-off policy could well have encouraged Assad to commit this atrocity.
So then, without getting approval from Congress as required by the Constitution, Sheriff Trump suddenly does a 180 and fires off $60 million worth of Tomahawks in an illegal act of war against another nation. Shades of “shock and awe.” Syrian planes were taking off again from the same airfield the very next day. Little damage was done. The chemical weapons were not destroyed, nor the Syrians’ ability to use them. And in effect, Trump shot his wad. What does he do if Assad uses sarin gas again, or just continues killing with barrel bombs? Fire more missiles? Escalate with bombers? What’s the plan, if there is one (probably not)? What if Assad uses human shields at target sites, including perhaps captives from the 1,000 U.S. troops currently deployed in Syria (God forbid.)
Trump stupidly said he knows more than all the generals. But he doesn't know enough to have any overall Syrian strategy. Trump never does anything unless he thinks it will benefit him. After his disastrous military misadventure in Yemen, this strike was much more of a P.R. attempt to distract from his many other problems, but may well wind up only adding to his troubles. Incompetence, like talent, will out.