Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa tonight made the following comment on President Obama's outline for possible U.S. military action in Syria.
"Yesterday afternoon I went to the White House for a secured briefing about Syria with Vice President Biden. Today, I listened to the President directly when he came to Capitol Hill to talk with senators, as well as his speech on TV tonight. I appreciate the complicated issues the President faces. Still, I don't think the case for military action has been made. From what I have heard, Iowans strongly oppose military action by the United States. They have concerns and questions about what the President has proposed. If the goal is to deter and degrade Assad's ability to use chemical weapons, how would a limited strike achieve this goal? What are the risks of military action? What is the U.S. national interest in striking Syria? I'm still leaning against the authorization for the use of force that's been presented. In addition, the Russian proposal to force Assad to turn over chemical weapons to international monitors presents a possible alternative. Military action should be the last resort, so this diplomatic offer, if credible and enforceable, needs to be considered."
