"...but so what?"....President Putin has owned President Obama, backed him down from the get-go, or does no one remember the Polish, Czech missile debacle? President Obama has presented himself as no more than a doormat at every confrontation. President Putin relishes, as he should, every opportunity to gain stature at our and President Obama's embarrassment(s). Putin's involvement in Syria is based on a 80 billion dollar natural gas pipeline to supply Europe. That is one big reason for the other Middle East countries sudden anti Assad stance, competition over Europe's very energy base......."but so what",......if Assad and Putin control it?