Asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” early Tuesday about reports that officials at the Pentagon and in the intelligence community were caught flatfooted by the White House statement late Monday suggesting that the U.S. was preparing to take military action against any new Syrian use of chemical weapons, Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, had this to say:

“ ‘Candidate Trump said that he would be unpredictable in foreign affairs, and President Trump has certainly delivered on that.’ ” — Sen. Chris Coons

NBC reported that no fewer than five defense and intelligence sources said they not only had been caught off-guard by the White House statement but could venture no guesses as to what form retaliatory actions on the U.S.’s part might take.