is more or less finished. Go back and read Gates' speech/warninga about NATO prior to his
retirement.

I doubt at this point there would be much of a response even if Syria shot down a Turkish jet(s)
in their air space.

If the jet had made it back to international airspace (and that's still an 'if' - we've just Turkey's word for it), the action by Syria was unwise. But let's remember that Syria has had its airspace invaded in the past few years, and then it was bombed. I don't see that this response to a new incursion means there has to be more killing -by us.

but based on where this is going (potential full scale civil war) I assume a military response will
be "required". word is we're already arming the rebels.

The CIA has recently been deployed to Turkey to make sure that the arms being provided by private sources are not going to Al Qaeda types.

The rebels have struggled to find arms to defend themselves against the Syria brutality until recently.

Clinton and Obama are adamant that the US provide only non-lethal support.