[AndyJackson]

I can well imagine that McMaster told Trump that "if" you want to go in and take control of the mess in Syria you are going to need 150,000 troops on the ground - and nothing less will do.

I can't imaginge Mattis stating a number much different from that. That is not a recommendation, but a warning about the seriousness of the undertaking.

[proust]

A general recommends war? Shocking! And the US would never falsify data to get another war on. The swamp has been drained. /s

[Strac6]

I think the bottom line is none of it ever happened.