Reply #20: Ah, so the assertion

[salin]

is that it will give Syrians hope that the US will come in and invade them so that they may have elections.

Given our diminished capacity due to an overstreched military with no end in sight for current commitments - seems very unlikely that the US will be able to act on their rhetoric to do this. Sadly, that is clear to much of the world, and thus our bellicose rhetoric, while disturbing - doesn't carry as much fear into action spurring as it did shortly before (and after) the Iraq action in 2003. Of course, the situation of diminished capacity to do as you suggest would be changed drastically if our overall size of the military were expanded... say due to a draft. That point would be so hard to sell, that it is an unlikely option.