REP NUGENT RESPONDS
TO PRESIDENT’S SPEECH ON SYRIA INTERVENTION
(WASHINGTON, DC) Following the
President’s speech to the nation regarding a military attack on Syria, Rep.
Rich Nugent (FL-11) issued the following statement:
“Last night, the President
continued his pitch to the American people on why our country should go to war
in Syria. It’s a muddled message to say the least - Congress should authorize
him to move forward with an act of war that he’s pretty sure won’t turn into a
real war. And Congress should provide him that authorization even though he
maintains that he doesn’t actually need it. But Congress should also wait to
give him the authorization that he says he doesn’t need because there is a
potential peaceful solution on the table. But he also thinks the peaceful
solution isn’t realistic and that we definitely have a moral obligation to use
our overwhelming military force – to start a war that probably won’t turn into a
real war. That’s the message from our Commander in Chief. I’m skeptical to say
the least.
“For the last couple of weeks, the
administration has been trying to convince the American people that we’re not
going to put boots on the ground. But in the very same breath, the
administration also acknowledges that there are “risks” to any military action.
Those risks very clearly involve getting drawn into a full-scale war. If we are
attacked, if our allies are attacked, we will almost certainly end up in a war.
We can’t predict the outcome. If we strike, American troops are inherently at
increased risk. The administration needs to be honest about that and I don’t
appreciate them trying to minimize that or gloss over it – and neither do the
American people.
“The President also seems to think
that we can degrade the Assad regime’s ability to use the weapons without
affecting their ability to control the weapons and keep them from falling into
terrorist hands. That’s a pretty big leap to ask the American people to make.
The risk of those weapons falling into terrorist hands is a very serious risk
and I think the administration needs to be honest with the American people about
the seriousness of that risk. The President can’t guarantee that the stockpile
will be more secure after a strike than before it. In all likelihood, Syria’s
chemical weapons will be less secure from falling into the hands of terrorists
after a missile strike.
“The Administration hasn’t thought
this through. They are just trying to minimize people’s perception of the risks
and clinging to the hope that it all works out in the end. The President can
make all of the promises and proclamations he wants about not getting into a
ground war in Syria, but what he fails to grasp is that our enemies have a say
in what happens as much as we do.
“This is an act of war, whether
you declare it or not, from the Syrians’ perspective, from Iran’s perspective,
from Russia’s perspective, a missile strike by one sovereign nation against
another is an act of war. If Congress votes for this resolution, they better be
prepared to go all the way. The American people don’t think this is worth
another war and they know that war is exactly where this could end
up.
“The French are apparently going
to move forward with a serious resolution in the UN Security Council that the
Chinese, Iran, and others seem to support. The President is advocating that we
wait to move forward with the authorization he is still making the case for to
see if the diplomatic solution can work. And while the Russians appear
reluctant to agree to any language involving a military strike, expecting
Congress to move forward at this point with a poorly thought-through, overly
broad, and completely untimely request for authorization for the use of military
force is crazy. I didn’t support it yesterday because it’s not worth putting
our troops in harm’s way, and I certainly am not going to support it today with
a potentially viable diplomatic solution on the table. I think like most
people, I’m obviously skeptical of Russia, Iran, and Syria’s sincerity here, but
it’s a possibility that’s worth exploring. Committing America to an unnecessary
war is not.”
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