Trump's Syria strikes were the best choice in a land of lousy options

Perhaps the most important takeaway was that in Trumpland, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis still dominates the decision-making process on the use of military force. If reports that some were pushing for more comprehensive strikes are accurate, then Mattis won this round. No doubt the military participation of the British and French — both of whom were looking for a tough but narrow response that would not trigger Russian and Iranian escalation or drag them into Syria’s civil war, helped strengthen Mattis’ hand. But the secretary was clearly worried about a set of targets that might have triggered Russian and Iranian retaliation. And despite tweets warning Russian leader Vladimir Putin about smart missiles headed his way, Trump took Mattis’ counsel.