First, let me repeat the oft-stated comment about the "fog of war." Of course I don't really know what is happening there. But, what I do know, is that it appears that we have been providing sham support. Is the US Air Force and its ROE so inept that it has little impact? Or is the ineffectiveness of the US air campaign deliberate?
If the US is only pretending to act, it is in effect supporting the bad guys.
If you give a crap about the Christian holocaust in Syria, then you have to support Assad. From what I can see, the democratic part of the original movement has been essentially wiped out by the more aggressive Islamists. Else, why is the US now admitting it can only find FIVE (out of 60) good guys it trained at huge expense?
If I wanted to keep up the Obama line, and also support the most radical elements in Syria, I'd say exactly what you've quoted. That's not to say the Russians don't have other goals, such as their base and port on the Mediterranean Sea, or control over any pipelines routed to Europe. They are not nice guys. But, in the Mideast, we haven't been nice either--and in fact, under Obama, we've been completely duplicitous in many instances.
you have been duped
the Christians are not at issue in Syria. the issue is between the various Arab factions and Assad