When the predicate of an 'if' seems likely, it's no longer much of an 'if'; it's more like a 'when'.

Secretary of State John Kerry told a panel of senators that he couldn’t absolutely rule out the use of U.S. combat troops in Syria if groups hostile to the United States seized any of Syria’s chemical weapons.

Lawmakers' concerns that America would be drawn into a broader conflict – already evident among many members of the Senate – deepened when Kerry speculated openly at a hearing Tuesday about the circumstances under which the U.S. might deploy combat troops in Syria.

Yay.