re: Why does the ruling class want Assad gone?

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So, basically our reason to go into Syria to fight ISIS is just a ruse?

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Yes and no.

Assad's chemical weapon attack was actually a false flag by rebel groups (more likely with our help) who wanted to frame Assad for it to get American help overthrowing Assad. The American people balked and so the civil war has dragged on.

In an effort to win the hearts and minds of moderate Syrians, Assad quietly aided ISIS in fighting against rival, more moderate, rebel factions with the belief that the people of Syria would never rally behind ISIS if they were the last rebel group standing because Assad would look so much more moderate and tolerable by comparison. Assad assumed that once ISIS was the only strong rebel army standing, that he could mop them up with his military without issue, but now he's realizing that he simply can't do that. ISIS swinging into Iraq gave them so many more resources and recruits that Assad is struggling now to fend them off.

ISIS was doing our dirty work, forcing Iraq's government to be more inclusive, motivating the Kurds to seek more autonomy, weakening Iran's influence on the Middle East, and overthrowing a Shiite dictatorship all while we shook our fingers at them for being so brutal. Then, ISIS started threatening the Saudi Royals and beheading Americans and public sentiment went from "not my problem" to "kill it with fire!" The Saudis, who at first supported ISIS, now see that ISIS could very well invade them and topple them from power, but they're afraid to act because much of their population is sympathetic to ISIS. Now, the U.S. finds it stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do we support our enemy? Do we support the enemy of my enemy? Or do we support the enemy of my enemy of my enemy? In the end, money talks and bullshite walks. The Saudis have the money, so we're removing their threat.