What is a "consequential action"? Your guess is as good as mine ...

White House chief of staff Denis McDonough:

[W]hat the president has in mind here—and what we're consulting Congress on-- is a limited, targeted consequential action. Let me tell you what this is not: This is not Iraq and Afghanistan. This is not Libya—a sustained air campaign. This is not boots on the ground.

--Cited in Aamer Madhani, "Obama aide: Resistance to Syria strike 'understandable'," USA TODAY

con·se·quen·tial

ˌkänsəˈkwenCHəl/

adjective

1. 1.

   following as a result or effect.

   "a loss of confidence and a consequential withdrawal of funds"

   synonyms:

   resulting, resultant, ensuing, consequent; More
2. 2.

   important; significant.

   "perhaps the most consequential discovery of the eighteenth century"

   
   

--From TheFreeDictionary

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