Pentagon: Airstrike on Syria crippled chemical weapon infrastructure, with no damage inflicted by Syria or Russia

It’s been awhile since we did something like this, so it’s worthwhile to remember the days of Baghdad Bob and other enemy propagandists, who assured us that America was being pounded and was just moments away from being completely destroyed. Yeah. No.

I’m sure CNN and MSNBC are rushing to confirm that the Syrians and the Russians took out dozens of our Tomahawk and Cruise missiles, but the Pentagon not only laughs at the notion – it confidently reports that all the military objectives of the airstrike were achieved:

Speaking alongside White, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, Director of the Joint Staff, provided details of the overnight military operation. “We are still conducting a more detailed damage assessment, but initial indications, are that we accomplished our military objectives without material interference from Syria,” McKenzie said. McKenzie added that none of the aircraft or missiles involved in the operation were successfully engaged by Syrian or Russian air defenses. “We are confident that all of our missiles reached their targets and at the end of the strike mission, all our aircraft returned safely to their bases,” McKenzie said. What’s more, McKenzie said that more than 40 surface-to-air missiles were employed by the Syrian regime, but most of the launches occurred after the coalition strikes.

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I suppose it’s possible we could find out later this isn’t accurate, and that we did lose some aircraft or that some missiles failed to make it to their targets. But it seems unlikely. It would be awfully audacious for McKenzie to declare that all our aircraft had safely returned to their bases if that was not the case, and he would surely know if we had lost any. So what about that ominous Russian threat of consequences, including their shooting down of our missiles and planes? Hmmm? The left is freaking out this morning that Trump is going to get us into a war with Russia – I know, the same left that was telling us just last week that Trump is Putin’s lapdog – because their default presumption is that ever standing up to the Russians on anything means nuclear annihilation. But how did Putin do passing his own rhetorical test? What consequences did he inflict? What price did he make us pay? It’s easy for Putin to talk big when the West is too nervous to stand up to him. If he ever got in a serious fight with us, he couldn’t win it. Western leaders who actually understand this can do a lot to turn back the evil Putin props up for his own purposes.

Statement by the Ambassador Antonov on the strikes on #Syria:
A pre-designed scenario is being implemented. Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences.
All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris. pic.twitter.com/QEmWEffUzx

— Russia in USA (@RusEmbUSA) April 14, 2018