After The Fireworks Show: What Now, Donald?

What now, Donald?

In response to the Syrian government once again using chemical weapons against its own people, the United States, Thursday was a week ago, sent a targeted barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles against the Syrian airfield from which the planes that carried the chemical ordinance were launched.

The toll taken, however, seems almost token.

Initial reporting indicated that six Syrian military personnel and nine Syrian civilian workers were killed. A few warehouse units were destroyed. There was some very limited operational damage.

Curiously, the Trump administration initially said there had been no attempt to take out Syrian aircraft--you know, the planes that actually deliver the deadly ordinance (whether it be sarin gas or barrel bombs or napalm canisters) that Bashar al-Assad uses to kill his own people.

Even more curiously, as journalists increasingly wondered why Syrian aircraft were not targeted, various persons within the administration suddenly began to give various counts as to how many were destroyed. Over the weekend, five different administration officials gave five different accounts--ranging from a very few to 20% of the entire Syrian air force--of how many jet fighters were taken out. And the number seemed to grow in direct proportion to the administration's growing need to justify its assessment of the strike as a "complete success."

In other words, truth/accuracy took a back seat to messaging, which is nothing new to Trump's machinations.

Those messaging efforts got more difficult on Monday of this week as former military and intelligence officials began to ask why the stores of chemical weapons weren't targeted. It's not like Tomahawk missiles can't be armed with ordinance that destroys chemical weapons with thermodynamic explosives that obliterate the chemicals and prevent them from being released into the surrounding environment. And it's not like we didn't know where they were stored at that particular airfield.

The fact of the matter is that this strike was nothing more than a pin prick. A firecracker thrown at an armored vehicle outfitted with a .50 caliber machine gun. A fireworks show for which we got little bang for the buck. A cynical photo op. A "publicity stunt," editorialized Paul Krugman in the NYTimes, in a long line of Trump publicity stunts.

And it changed virtually nothing for the better on the ground.

Syrian jets were flying bombing missions from that same airfield the day after the missile strike. Russia announced an upgrade in its air defense system in western Syria and a ramping up of its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean. And on and on.

Which renders absurd those American politicians, political commentators and internet message board posters who were suddenly pounding their chests and talking about "renewed" American leadership/power in world affairs.

Listening to them, one might have thought that we had removed Bashar al-Assad from office, destroyed the entire Syrian air force, dealt a death blow to ISIS, cured cancer, reversed the effects of climate change and miraculously seen Donald Trump become "presidential."

As to the latter, it does say something about how low the bar is set per Donald Trump appearing "presidential."

Less than two months ago, The Trumpster put on his China-made tie, Thailand-made suit, Mexico-made shirt and, in a speech to a joint session of Congress, was actually able to work from a teleprompter without wandering off-script and asking members of the Senate and House of Representatives to join him in a unison chant of "Lock her up!" or "Build that Wall!"

The media was agog with wonder. FOX News' Chris Wallace--an apple that fell a long way from the tree--gushed that "tonight Donald Trump became president of the United States."

Whaaa? He was "presidential" because, unlike his behavior at campaign rallies, he didn't ask Republican lawmakers to "take out" any Democratic lawmakers who failed to applaud his meaningless shibboleths, empty rhetoric and false promises? Is that right, Chris?

It now appears that we have taken a shovel, dug a hole in the ground and lowered the bar even further.

Fareed Zakaria, who should have known better, awakened from his swoon in time to say, "I think Donald Trump became president of the United States" per ordering the missile strike on Syria. FOX News' "Judge Jeanine"--whom should not be taken seriously about anything more consequential than one's choice of laundry detergents--extravagantly opined that the missile launch "made America proud...made people all around the world proud."

Wow! Who knew?

Republican lawmakers hypocritically weighed in about Trump's fireworks show being a "presidential" action.

Slimy, shape-shifting critters from the swamp such as Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan showered accolades onto the president's carefully-coiffed, orange-haired head. Each of them apparently having forgotten that they helped pave the way for Assad's chemical weapons warfare by opposing and refusing congressional approval for President Obama's far more robust--read, not a fireworks show--2013 plan per a sustained bombing campaign intended to completely destroy Assad's stores of chemical weapons.

Trump himself apparently forgot the part he played in allowing Assad to maintain his chemical weapons capability. While he incomprehensibly blamed President Obama--the buck never stops at The Donald's desk, does it?--for Assad's "heinous" use of chemical weapons against his own people, the only thing less "heinous" was Trump's blatant hypocrisy.

As President Obama sought congressional approval for his bombing plan, Trump unleashed a torrent of 13 tweets warning the president against engaging Syria in any military action. Click on the link and you can read all of them.

MEMO TO THE DONALD: Blaming everything on your predecessor and continuing to use the phrase "Crooked Hillary" are both egregiously hypocritical actions and don't make you look, uh, "presidential."

In the end, Trump's weak, feckless pin prick of a missile strike did little more than send a weak, feckless message: "Now, Bashar, don't be using those chemical weapons anymore."

Barrel bombing with high explosive ordinance into densely-populated civilian centers?

That's okay.

Dropping napalm canisters into densely-populated civilian centers?

That's okay.

Airmailing artillery barrages into densely-populated civilian centers?

That's okay.

Besieging cities and towns such that neither food nor medical personnel nor medical equipment nor essential medical/pharmaceutical supplies can reach the sick, the wounded or the dying?

That's okay.

But, keep chemical weapons use to a minimum. Because, you know, Ivanka just cannot abide the picture of a father holding his twin baby boys just before burying them after they died during one of your sarin gas attacks.

Many Americans have experienced a cathartic release because they think that Trump's fireworks show somehow amounted to beating up a bully.

It didn't.

We may have blackened the bully's eye, but we also gave him permission to continue his bullying as long as he doesn't use chemical weapons.

Trump's flexing of U.S. biceps actually means that little will change per the horrendous circumstances facing Syrian citizens. Because, if you're a Syrian citizen targeted by al-Assad, there is little distinction between having sarin gas or barrel bombs or canisters of napalm rain down on what is left of your family's home.

Furthermore, Trump's flexing of U.S. biceps absolutely doesn't mean that Syrians can look to the United States for safety or refuge. After all, The Donald has made it clear that we're not taking in "beautiful little babies," much less their families, if they're from Syria.

It was a nice fireworks show--59 Tomahawk missiles! Brian Williams, on MSNBC, inexplicably called it "beautiful." But it had little to no lasting effect.

So, what now, Donald?

Have you got a plan? A policy? Anything?