President Donald J. Trump's first war seemed a short one. To many, it commenced on April 7, 2017 (local time) and, after fifty-nine cruise missiles struck, seemingly ended the same day. The president received good marks for the stunning strike against the Syrian air base, with many members of the foreign policy establishment applauding his attack as a means of punishing Bashar al-Assad's regime for its use of chemical weapons. Even some Obama administration veterans were full of praise for the president, apparently drawing a contrast between President Donald J. Trump's strike and President Barack Obama's unwillingness to enforce his chemical weapons “red line.”