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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMcCain, Levin Urge Obama To ‘Take More Active Steps’ In Syria
McCain, Levin Urge Obama To Take More Active Steps In Syria
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a member of the panel, penned a joint letter to President Obama on Thursday urging him to take "take more active steps" in Syria.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/mccain-levin-urge-obama-to-take-more-active
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a member of the panel, penned a joint letter to President Obama on Thursday urging him to take "take more active steps" in Syria.
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write to express our strong belief that it is in our national security interest to take more active steps, together with our friends and allies in the Middle East and Europe, to stop the killing in Syria and force Bashar al-Assad to give up power.
While we are particularly disturbed by reports that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, the larger tragedy is that more than 70,000 people have already been killed in Syria. More than 1 million Syrians are living as refugees. The Syrian state is disintegrating. In short, the longer the conflict in Syria goes on, the worse its consequences are becoming. The potential use of chemical weapons only makes the case for greater action more compelling and urgent.
We believe there are credible options at your disposal, including limited military options, that would require neither putting U.S. troops on the ground nor acting unilaterally. To this end, we urge you to take the following steps:
First, we urge you to lead an effort, together with our friends and allies, to degrade the Assad regimes airpower and to support Turkey if they are willing to establish a safe zone inside of Syrias northern border. As the Commander of U.S. European Command and NATOs Supreme Allied Commander, Admiral James Stavridis, testified this week to the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Patriot missile batteries that have already been deployed to southern Turkey could be positioned again, with Turkeys consent to protect the safe zone, and doing so would be a powerful disincentive for the Assad regimes pilots to fly in that area. Moreover, the Patriots could be used to defend against the Assad regimes increasingly frequent use of SCUD missiles -- weapons that the regime has used to indiscriminately kill hundreds of people in northern Syria, and that can also be used as delivery vehicles for chemical weapons -- should they be directed against the safe zone.
Second, General James Mattis, the Commander of U.S. Central Command, testified last week to the Senate Armed Services Committee that "a fair amount" of Assads aircraft could be destroyed on the ground using precision airstrikes. Such a mission could also include Assads SCUD missile batteries and would not require American or allied pilots to fly into the reach of Syrias air defenses. We urge you to work with our friends and allies, as well as regional organizations, to consider this limited option.
Finally, we urge you to provide more robust assistance directly to vetted opposition groups. We believe such assistance should include tactical intelligence and increased deliveries of food and medicine, fuel, communications equipment, medical care for the wounded, and other humanitarian assistance. To this end, establishing a safe haven inside Syria would also serve the important goal of delivering humanitarian assistance more effectively.
Over the past two years that the horrific conflict in Syria has pressed on, both Syrians on the ground and key allies across the region have made clear their hope for stronger American support. We urge you to take steps to ease the suffering of the Syrian people and protect U.S. national security interests. We look forward to working with you in this important effort.
Sincerely,
Carl Levin
John McCain
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/mccain-levin-urge-obama-to-take-more-active
The good news is Levin is on the "honor roll" for his IWR vote!
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McCain, Levin Urge Obama To ‘Take More Active Steps’ In Syria (Original Post)
ProSense
Mar 2013
OP
What about the killing in North Korea, John? No oil there? Well then just say that it's for oil.
Scuba
Mar 2013
#1
Airstrikes = war. Missiles fired into Syria from Turkey = war. Fuck off, Wonder Twins.
TwilightGardener
Mar 2013
#4
Scuba
(53,475 posts)1. What about the killing in North Korea, John? No oil there? Well then just say that it's for oil.
Life Long Dem
(8,582 posts)2. All McCain can think of from this visit to Israel is
that the war drums are not being beaten hard enough.
Obama is making peace or keeping it and McCain is beating the war drums.
glowing
(12,233 posts)3. I'm sorry, but why don't they work on passing a real budget,
a jobs package, or close some of the tax loopholes in America? Let the President get back on US soil before they criticize his foreign policies.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)4. Airstrikes = war. Missiles fired into Syria from Turkey = war. Fuck off, Wonder Twins.
verszu92
(1 post)5. President
President Barack Obama
Response to ProSense (Original post)
politicasista This message was self-deleted by its author.
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)7. I don't like warmongers, no matter what party they're in.