Well, this seems to be working out splendidly. From I24:

Turkey's air force launched an offensive against Kurdish targets in north-east Syria, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported late Monday, followed by the US's earlier announcement not to intervene in the region.

Absolutely splendidly. From the Jerusalem Post:

Turkish forces attacked SDF positions in the city of al-Malikiyah in northern Syria, according to Syrian state news agency SANA. The Turkish Air Force "neutralized" three PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) members in northern Iraq on Monday, according to the Turkish National Defense Ministry, reported the Turkish Anadolu Agency. The attacks were carried out in the Gara region near the Turkey-Iraq border.

Splendidly, with great and unmatched splendor. From Stars and Stripes:

"The Department of Defense made clear to Turkey -- as did the President [Donald Trump] -- that we do not endorse a Turkish operation in northern Syria. The U.S. armed forces will not support, or be involved in any such operation,” Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman said in the statement. “We will work with our other NATO allies and [anti-ISIS] coalition partners to reiterate to Turkey the possible destabilizing consequences of potential actions to Turkey, the region, and beyond."

If you wanted to fracture the western alliance, and you wanted the United States to help you do it, what would you do right now that the president* isn't doing? Do we even know if all the American troops have cleared the combat zone? Does anybody care if they have?

We have a great and unmatched idiot in the Oval Office.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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