> You were trying I know what I'm trying. And you're wrong. I'm not claiming Putin wanted an airliner shot down. I'm saying that when Putin's forces shot down

> You were trying I know what I'm trying. And you're wrong. I'm not claiming Putin wanted an airliner shot down. I'm saying that when Putin's forces shot down an airliner he kept supporting them. In other words, Russia doesn't care. > So, yes, Russia DOES care about ISIS. No. Because if ISIS wandered off into Iraq, they'd be done. >> If we actually collaborate > How do you propose to deal with the power vacuum You want to plug it with a dictator? Brilliant. > how are the Syrians being "held hostage" anyway? Their dictator has ordered his security forces to fire on civilians. > A large chunk of the Syrian population wants the Assad regime Got a fair vote that shows that? And see below. > just like a large chunk of the Iraqi population was happy with the Saddam regime. Yeah, those in his good books, whose power came from him. But it's irrelevant anyways because even popular support for an illegal government (ie, not recognizing human rights) doesn't legitimize it. > You haven't actually come up with any kind of viable plan to "fix" the problem Move the goalposts much? It's not the job of the guy who says "Stop throwing gas on the fire" to have the entire roadmap planned out. You're the one who proposes we take an active stance - to shift our alliances and protect a dictator we'd previously told to leave power. You want to commit military resources. The burden of proof is on you.