Trump must have been pretty sure his intel was good. Pretty brave.
Pretty brave.
Damn right. I stand with President Trump all the way.
That's an interesting point. Responding quickly, sort of "quick justice", sends a more effective message (and gives defenders no time to prepare). But it increases the chance that the intel is flawed. Waiting increases the quality of the intel (or it should), but dilutes the message and increases the defender's ability to defend.
My guess is that once it was clear the Russians would block any UN action, and Trump was about 90% confident on the intel, he gave the order.
That makes sense: Trump's history is that of a shrewd guy willing to take calculated risks. A risk-averse bureaucrat he is not.