With Bush on the way out, this US military incursion may represent something of a parting shot against the Syrians...

BBC, here

"....All of this is in marked contrast to European efforts to engage the Syrians. With French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the lead, a number of European countries have sought to bring Syria in from the cold. But despite glimmerings of dissent from the State Department, the Bush administration has held firm to its policy of no substantive talks with Syria unless - as the Americans put it - Damascus decides to take a more "positive role" in the region. With the Bush administration on the way out, this US military incursion may represent something of a parting shot against the Syrians..."