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Obama Faces Difficult Decision on Syria Action

(Washington Post) Scott Wilson - In informing Congress Thursday that Syria's government may have used chemical agents against the population, the Obama administration stated that "no option is off the table" should future evidence confirm the mounting suspicions. On Thursday, Miguel Rodriguez, Obama's chief liaison to Congress, said the administration will continue to seek a UN investigation to determine definitely whether chemical weapons have been used and to what extent. Doing so buys the administration some time to decide a course of action. "Given our own history with intelligence assessments, including intelligence assessments related to weapons of mass destruction," a senior administration official said Thursday, "it's very important that we are able to establish this with certainty." President Obama must weigh his potential action or inaction in Syria against his policy toward an Iranian government on the lookout for signs of faltering American resolve. A U.S. military action in Syria would open up a new front in the Islamic world, but it could also serve notice to Iran that Obama means what he says when he draws red lines.
2013-04-26 00:00:00
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