[HoustonCurmudgeon]

It does no good to be an 800 pound gorilla unless you periodically show what you can do. Others tend to rethink their options after you pitch a fit.

[joesnuffy]

About as decisive as a gathering of African termites discussing what the local herd of wild African Elephants will be doing this year....

[Nick Danger]

This is all great news. I wish I could believe it. Maybe if Baghdad Bob or Debka were to back Stratfor up on this...

[numberonepal]

I really think the biggest thing that gets their attention is the fact that we are coming closer and closer to never missing with a single shot. Not counting small arms - man, we just don't miss. Frickin' amazing! Shocked the Awe out of me. Awed the Shock out of them. Look the f*$% out, and stay out of the way! We didn't come to steal their lunch money, we came for their collective asses - they know it, we know it, and everyone else knows it (including China).

This "test case" of good old fashioned tough love got everyone's attention. It's time to grow up world, and now Big Pappa is back on top! (Horn tooting entirely intentional) Let's get some house cleaning done here at home, too.

[pierrem15]

but there appeared to be even more unease with confronting the United States too openly.

but also that Syria did not have regional support for a confrontation with the United States

A ringing condemnation of Israel was not showcased.

I'm sceptical given the source, but it seems good: oderint dum metuant.

[Happy2BMe]

"..but also that Syria did not have regional support for a confrontation with the United States."

We need to land a big swift boot straight smack-dab up the royal ar$e of Syria's Ass-Ahd.

Now - while the boot is just a few inches away from the target.

And Turkey needs to take some series notes of what just happened to their pal in Baghdad, shut the hell up, and go back into deeper conference with Chirac and Schroeder - not to resurface for another ten or twenty years.