When you go to negotiations, you need a statesman/woman.

When you go to silly costume party, PR stunts and pantomime, Obama will do.

While I think he made a mistake in supporting the overthrow of Assad and generally meddling and/or supporting the meddling of Arab countries in the civil war, I know he also doesn't want to get American soldiers killed there and us embroiled in a big 10-way quagmire clusterfuck (although his recent "less than 50" troop insertion could be the start of something stupider). We really don't have much at stake there, beyond killing ISIS--and we don't need an American ground presence to do that, despite what Jeb! and Lindsey Graham say.

cram it.
Really.

Putin is just another right wing fascist.

guaranteed heartburn for ISIS.

Their ideology/theology prophesies that the Crusader nations will all converge in Syria where Allah will destroy them in a final apocalyptic battle. It's bullshit, of course, but every bomb that falls just confirms their wacky beliefs. And if Russia puts in ground troops, all the more so.

reinforce their beliefs. But regardless the immediate result will be a more pressing interest in self-protection than in fighting the Crusader Infidel

to fight an enemy who considers their own death an achievement. When you truly believe that dying in battle is a win for you and your religion, the conventional notion of war is out the window. Look at how the Japanese fought in WWII. Made the island campaigns brutal in their dogged determination to not surrender. At least, the Japanese DID want to survive if possible, Isis is worse in that they see glory and redemption in fighting until they're killed. It's impossible to intimidate that mindset. They have to wiped out to the last fighter.

Putin doesn't go to war worrying about civilians or rules.

He will level the place.

famously said that, Putin or...