Military might alone won't be enough for the US to go unscathed here.

Oh absolutely, 100%. It will be very bad at the beginning, but if the US does go aggressive then the rest of the world will defend itself. And if Trump removes competent leadership to install cronies with delusions of American exceptionalism then the current strength will be lost earlier.

The American people may also, at some point, may actually start to feel sufficient shame to take action.

I have less and less hope for this, and there's also the problem of what action to take...