How many outs in this game?

Toppling heads of state has been a consuming passion of US administrations, regardless who is POTUS. Let's call the repetitive process a "scourge". Definition: A person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering. Slobodan Milosevic ran the show in Serbia and Yugoslavia for more than a decade at the end of the 20th century. Too bad for him he became a focus of attention from Bill Clinton. "Slick Willie" needed to distract the American public away from his sexual exploits with the major focus of his attention (remember her?) that led to his impeachment by the US House of Representatives and threatened his presidency. He survived a similar vote in the Senate and remained POTUS. Slobodan was not so fortunate. The indiscriminate bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO, approved by Clinton but notably not the UN, killed hundreds of civilians. Collateral damage was not considered part of the equation. "Slobo" was charged with serious war crimes, and later was arrested on a variety of civil charges. He died in prison. One out.

Saddam Hussein, by all accounts, was a rotten bastard with a history of picking fights with neighbors, notably Iran and Kuwait. Helping in the former effort, Reagan provided arms and loans, thereby punishing the Mullahs for chasing our friend the Shah into exile and capturing dozens of American hostages. But when Saddam captured Kuwait it was a bridge too far for the Saudis, long (and still) our "pretend" friends. The royals feared Hussein's adventurism was too close to their oil fields for financial comfort. The King declared Hussein had to go. Thanks to GHWB he went home with his tail between his legs. Saddam was restrained for awhile after the first Gulf War, but in a reprise years later GWB chased him into a hidy-hole, found him, and hanged him. Two out. Hosni Mubarak ruled secular Egypt for 30 years. He got military support from the US and $billions in cash to boot, some of which he apparently stuffed into his own boots. But Barack Hussein Obama decided the Muslim Brotherhood, long banished in Egypt because of their penchant for religious fanaticism, should have a chance to run the place. Besides, Arab Spring was in the air! Ergo, our friend Mubarak became expendable. By definition, he must have been a friend because sane persons would not rain $billions on an enemy. And when Obama made his 6000+ word "new beginning" speech in Cairo he was graciously received by host Hosni. But it was OK with Obama when Mubarak was charged with corruption, tried, and sent to prison for life. His sentence was subsequently reduced to three years (time already served) and he was fined a few $million . . . chump change compared to his reported wealth in tens of $billions. Not exactly a free man today, he is officially "detained" in a military hospital. But he's not in the game any more. Three out. Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya for over four decades. Much of that time he was as evil as they come. But in 2003, fearful of US aggressive activities in the Mideast that might eventually get around to him, he decided to save his skin and changed his M.O. Gaddafi gave up his nuclear weapons program, made reparations for downing an airliner that killed hundreds of people in the plane and on the ground, and began to cooperate with US authorities. Essentially he did everything GWB required of him. He was not exactly a friend . . . but we could live with him. It was not enough for the next administration though. Obama decided he should be eliminated . . . and he was . . . murdered as brutally as he ruled his subjects. Four out.

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Game over? Nope! Bashar al-Assad and his father have ruled Syria for 45 years. The Arab Spring didn't look like a vase of budding roses to Bashar . . . more like a bush of sharp thorns. Fearing he was next to be removed he fought back . . . hard . . . fomenting the Syrian Civil War. He incurred the wrath of his neighbors in the Arab League and European Union countries. They want him gone and Obama is happy to see if he can make another out. In the game of baseball a team gets three outs before the side is removed and the opposing team takes the field. But this is geopolitics, and for Assad an inning with more than three outs appears plausible. He's in the dugout awaiting another turn at bat, which he may well get because his team has a new GM . . . Vladimir Putin. How does Assad's GM stack up against America's GM? A bare-chested, bare-back horse rider vs a padded pants, helmeted bicycle rider. A multiple goal-scoring hockey player vs a high-handicap, left-handed golfer. (You knew he had to swing from the left!) Whadda ya think? The rise of ISIS is the result of the strife in Syria.The Mideast is in conflagration, and spreading to Europe. Where next? Who knows? A self-proclaimed caliphate, ISIS declares it has political, religious and military authority over all Muslims worldwide. And they mean it! It is an interesting mental exercise to speculate what the world would look like without all the removals that have taken place. Isolationists make the case that US meddling . . . now there's a tepid description of our role . . . has proven to be a series of horrible mistakes for which many paid dearly and we got absolutely nothing in return. If you think otherwise, please list the pluses you think we got in the "Comment" section provided. OK, here's one to get you started . . . Osama bin Laden is dead! Tough neo-cons make the case the US should have been more brutal dealing with Islamic terrorists. How brutal? Try all in! Notice how quiet and cooperative the Japanese became?