In the abstract, one must admire the defense hawks grip on the cogs of power. On December 19th, Very Special Genius President Trump announce a pull out from Syria within 30 days.
The pro-war crowd threw shit at the fan. The Defense Secretary resigned, Lady Lindsey Graham threw himself a hissy fit, even Fox news blew a gasket. Since I liked Trump's action (yes I really did, LINK here), I knew it was trouble.
Well the military hawks, or, as Dwight Eisenhower called it, the military-industrial complex went apoplectic. And with results. This is only the second thing Trump has backed down on. The kids in cages at the border, now this. He hasn't said a word - we all know he hates to admit he can't do what he wants.
But Senator Graham came out a few weeks later and said Trump said 30 days, but meant about 4 months. Now John Bolton, his National Security Advisor said he really meant whenever all the right conditions are met, maybe a few months, maybe a few years from now.
The Afghanistan walk-back was immediate, but Syria took almost 3 weeks for the war party to get President Trump to back down on.