The US Military Wants to Stay Out of Syria

Daniel Larison summarizes a paywalled WSJ article on debates about Syria within the Obama administration:

Defense officials say the Joint Staff presented the best options available. Top military commanders acknowledge they weren’t enthusiastic about the options because they didn’t see them as viable. “Some things are what we call wicked problems,” one senior defense official said.

This is what I keep thinking about calls for US intervention in Syria: why would we want to get involved in another country's civil war, given that the effort we might be willing to put out might not have any effect on the outcome? "No viable options," say the Joint Chiefs. Isn't that a good reason to stay out?