NOBEL PEACE PRIZE UPDATE: Pentagon tap dances around ‘boots on the ground.’

Sometimes it’s really hard to tell what the Pentagon spokesman is saying, especially when he’s discussing the shadowy role U.S. special operations forces are playing in Syria.

The ostensible reason for the obfuscation is understandable: security and force protection. The less anyone knows about what the elite U.S. commandos are doing, and where they are doing it, the easier it is for them to do their job.

But that can also lead to a lot of confusion. Are U.S. troops fighting the Islamic State in Syria? Are they in danger? Are they on the front lines, behind the front lines, or nowhere near the front lines? Are they calling in airstrikes? Providing tactical advice? Weapons? What exactly are they up to?

What follows is a deconstruction of Monday’s briefing from Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook, and a translation from Pentagonese to English.

Short version: We’re engaged in slow and ineffectual escalation for political reasons. That always ends well.