President Trump and Defense Secretary Mattis both gave almost identical responses today when asked about the future administration policy toward Syria. Secretary Mattis speaking from the Pentagon stated:

…”I think what we have to look at here is a policy decision by the United States. There is a limit to what we can do. And when you look at what happened with this chemical attack we knew that we could not stand passive on this. But it was not a statement that we could enter full-fledged, full-bore, into the most complex civil war probably waging on the planet at this time.” (link)

President Trump speaking to the New York Post stated:

(Via New York Post) Amid complaints that his aides are saying different things about Syria and his policy is confusing, President Trump emphatically cleared the air.

“We’re not going into Syria,” he told me yesterday in an exclusive interview. “Our policy is the same — it hasn’t changed. We’re not going into Syria.”

The president, speaking by phone Tuesday, called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a “butcher” and a “barbarian” for using sarin gas on his own people, but said last week’s successful missile strike was not the start of a campaign to oust the dictator.

“Our big mission is getting rid of ISIS,” Trump said. “That’s where it’s always been. But when you see kids choking to death, you watch their lungs burning out, we had to hit him and hit him hard.”

He called the attack, which involved 59 cruise missiles fired from two Navy destroyers, “an act of humanity.” (read more)

[Via Michael Goodwin] When I asked the President Tuesday afternoon if he still has confidence in Steve Bannon, who took over the campaign in mid-August, I did not get a definitive yes.

“I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late,” Trump said. “I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didn’t know Steve. I’m my own strategist and it wasn’t like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary.”

He ended by saying, “Steve is a good guy, but I told them to straighten it out or I will.” (link)

President Trump is the wave, the Tsunami wave. Steve Bannon is the surfer…. you already know how this story ends:

The conspiracy nutters and cruz-bots are going to go bananas when surfer Bannon falls into the rocks. It’s clear now, the fall is coming. Oh well.

Good to remind yourself that Steve Bannon was the political strategist of billionaire Robert Mercer supporting Ted Cruz in 2014 and 2015.

Never forget Steve Bannon at Breitbart put together the data-collection strategy consisting of the presidential support polling for more than a year; and delivering the user-data to the Ted Cruz campaign which they then combined with with Mercer’s Cambridge Analytica to fundraise on behalf of Ted Cruz. –Full Background–

Steve Bannon was campaigning for Ted Cruz for a long time, and sent donor solicitation on behalf of Ted Cruz’s campaign using Breitbart letterhead and email banner headings.

Despite the small base appeal of the preaching, Bannon, Robert and Rebekkah Mercer, saw Ted Cruz as the best candidate to beat Jeb Bush. Until Donald Trump squished Ted.

Robert Mercer, Steve Bannon and Kelly-anne Conway were part of Team Cruz all the way through the GOP convention. It wasn’t until Senator Cruz embarrassed himself with his self-righteous and sanctimonious convention speech that financial backers Robert and Rebekkah Mercer dumped Cruz and directed all resources they controlled -including Bannon and Conway- to assist the Trump campaign.

It was Jared Kushner’s (and Ivanka) counsel with Donald Trump that advised his father-in-law to hire Steve Bannon and Kelly-Anne Conway as a useful strategy. The social media moonbats who tried to force the hand of President Trump to remove Kushner are loons for thinking such a position would be even considered.

Then again, the antisemitic crowd and Cruz supporters are just that – loons.