I don't know enough about the facts on the ground to suggest a military strategy. My instinct would be one that furthered American aims in the region, helped get rid of Assad, and killed as few people as possible, both civilians and military. This is exactly what Obama tried, although he was outmaneuvered by the Russians intervening on Syria's side and offering to destroy the chemical stockpiles instead.

What Trump does doesn't have to be fully successful either, just get us off the hook for talking tough prematurely. Killing Arabs is counterproductive, and killing Russians only puts them on the spot to retaliate. I would go after installations that pump, refine or store jet fuel: refineries, pipelines, pumping stations, tank farms, tanker port facilities; and ammo dumps. Casualties would be minimized since these facilities are usually kept away from populated areas anyway. And the Russian air force could go home with minimal casualties and their honor intact.

Its unlikely we would be able to completely cripple the Syrian war effort, I'm sure they have their assets spread out, and well hidden and defended (although mostly from ground attack). But it would slow it down.

You're right, perhaps Obama had the wrong Syria policy, but I don't think Trump even has one at all. At the very least, he has had to do a complete about-face on Assad and Putin to justify his current saber rattling. Right now, whatever he does will have to depend on the Russians not doing anything militarily to counteract it. We have little control over that, and little choice but to escalate should they choose to do so. The scary part is that they may have little control over their own response. If we give them a bloody nose they're going to be forced to get up off the canvas and come after us.

In a game of chicken, you have to give your opponent a way to save face or you may both wind up dead. Of course, if Trump thinks getting our way in Syria is worth risking all-out war with Russia, or another generation of Cold War, or even a humiliating and expensive defeat with all the long-term consequences that entails, then...well, that's why we pay Presidents the big bucks. Personally, I don't think he's capable of getting it right.

Trump may be right to blame this all on Obama, but that's irrelevant, now. It's not going to help him now to blame anyone else, its his problem, and unlike his predecessor, or Hillary, Trump doesn't seem to be giving himself any way to back out gracefully. The biggest risk of all is not leaving the job undone, or even failing altogether; its painting yourself into a corner from which there is no escape.

That's what happened to Bush in Iraq, and what Obama tried to avoid. Now Trump is going to have to come up with another alternative.