You sound like insane McCain. You want Americans to die for some Middle East Dictator that needs a pipeline in the Middle East.
Bullies? This jet was not threatening our jet. It was attacking ISIS.
We are flying over Syria uninvited. Can you imagine another nation flying their jets over our country and shooting down our aircraft? You are telling me that is not provocative and dangerous?
We are at war with ISIS/Al-Qaeda/Al-Nusra. There are no good rebels over there. They are all radicalized Islamic operating under the same black flag of no surrender.
As for the Syrian government there is no imminent threat from the Syrian government towards the United States. There is no clear and present danger from the Syrian government too. We have no business playing the policeman of the world.
However, if we get into a shooting war with Russia, who is invited by the Syrian government, then that could eventually lead to a nuclear conflict.
Did you forget Russia has nukes? They have them on their Subs too that parked off our coasts. You can’t win a thermo-nuclear war.
I am all for taking out ISIS/Al-Qaeda/Al-Nusra/”The Rebels” quickly, but we have no business shooting down Syrian jets. Let’s finish ISIS and leave.
After all we won World War II faster, than the current never ending war.
No, the jet was endangering the lives of AMERICAN advisors that are providing assistance on the ground.
I served as a combat advisor they bring a value added benefit to the indigenous forces they mentor and train. This concept allows training and our fire power to be utilized most effectively. It is cheaper than sending thousands of forces to do the fighting for them.
American servicemen are also in other continents around the world defending our security regardless of your knowledge and understanding of the issues and campaigns they are conducting. Their only request from folks like you is not to make matters worse for them over there.
The tides of history clearly reside against those who appeased or turn in fear from our adversaries. Chamberlain learned this lesson in WWII with Hitler. Thank God there was a Winston Churchill.
The guy on the battlefield called to sweat and shed blood is not a war monger, on the contrary, it is he who will suffer the pains of war and therefore, we warriors who have served in combat on foreign lands stand tall when the time for sternness arises.
No, American cannot afford to have an adversary like Russia force us to abandon our support or our forces. China has declared the South China Sea their territory and demanded that our ships leave the sea lanes to the. We have partnerships with Japan, Philippines, and South Korea. Using your gauge, we abandon the merchant sea lanes of the South China Seas and retreat.
Our military experiences demonstrate to us that short term gains in facing a bully, rarely produces the long term objectives desired.
Russia has nukes and so do we. Neither would use them at this point. Now North Korea is a different matter.
There is another good example of failed leadership that now has produced a lethal dictatorship that soon will be able to strike at the home of the US. Allowing situations to metastasize before action is taken because of fear or overly refrain will come back to bite you in a real way some day.
It will not go away.
We can either fight this war now or later when the enemy is stronger.
No one likes war...and we didn't declare this war. It was declared by an enemy...on us.
If we give up, we and our way of life dies.
This is a long war and their will be no peace until it is over (if even then).
Better to fight than appease the alligator.
Pretending we are not at war is not an option.