Graham: Now is the time to take action in Syria

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Sunday called for increased U.S. action in Syria, and said "now is the time to let [Syrian president Bashar] Assad know that all options are the table" - including the possible use of military force.

Graham, in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation," decried what he described as the Assad regime's "wholesale slaughter" against the Syrian people, and urged the U.S. to take a similar approach in that nation as it has in Libya in seeking the ouster of Muammar Qaddafi.

It's time, Graham contended, to "get the regional partners to tell the Assad he has to go. And put everything on the table - including military force."

"If we don't turn this dynamic around, the Red Cross can't go into Syria," he continued. "It's wholesale slaughter. We're about to get Qaddafi going. We need to turn our attention strongly to Syria with the regional cooperation like we have in Libya."

Syrian army troops and tanks attacked a northwestern city on Sunday, the latest act in an ongoing government crackdown against anti-government protests that have, since March, reportedly resulted in more than 1,400 deaths.

"If it made sense to protect the Libyan people against Qaddafi - and it did, because they were going to get slaughtered if we hadn't sent NATO in when he was on the outskirts of Benghazi -the question for the world is, have we gotten to that point in Syria?" asked Graham. "We may not be there yet but we're getting very close."

"If you really care about protecting the Syrian people from slaughter, now is the time to let Assad know that all options are the table," he urged. "It has gotten to the point where Qaddafi's behavior and Assad's behavior are indistinguishable."

Graham, who recently returned from an eight-day trip to Afghanistan, said he was "encouraged" by progress there, and said the U.S. was "now on offense." He warned, however, that intelligence shortcomings in Pakistan was "the biggest threat to our efforts in Afghanistan."

"We're on a collision course with Pakistan," Graham said. "If this doesn't change soon, I would urge the president to use more aggressive military force against safe havens in the Pakistan side of the border that they used to kill our troops and undermine progress in Afghanistan. This cannot sustain itself."

[mikelpond]

(*&%^ Lindsey Graham! It's not like his kids will be going.
throw the bum out!

[mikelpond]

another war, just what I expect from republicans. while they tell us we can't afford to take care of our elders, they're drooling to start yet another war.
throw the bums out!

[documemts]

You Lie!!!!!!!!!!

[WillMunny1]

When are we going to stop being the worlds police department?
Let the Europeans are Arab nations deal with it.
Besides after we help these ungrateful nations they later are burning our flag, effigies of our presidents calling us evil infidels.
I suspect Graham's real concern is not the Syrian people but to keeping the defense budget from being cut so we can keep spending it on things that are not really in our best interest.

[sdemaggie]

You know if it were up to Lindsey the US'd be at war with the rest of the world. This war monger is advocating expending US lives and treasure for a piece of dirt in the middle east with NO strategic interest to the US. Lindsey you're an embarassment-shut your mouth!

[amoura2005]

President Bashar Al-Assad is doing what any president of a sovereign country would do in the face of terrorism. There is a faction of the opposition that is clearly a terrorist group affiliated and supported with other countries and enemies of Syria. This terrorist group must be met with the full force of the Syrian army just like the USA is doing ...

[amoura2005]

President Bashar Al-Assad is doing what any president of a sovereign country would do in the face of terrorism. There is a faction of the opposition that is clearly a terrorist group affiliated and supported with other countries and enemies of Syria. This terrorist group must be met with the full force of the Syrian army just like the USA is doing ...
No to any outside interference in the Syrian affairs including military or political.

[doru001]

I'm glad that everybody pays attention to the law, as voted by the UN Security Council, as they should.

[dadrees-2009]

What the hell is wrong with these crazy Republicans?
Don't they stop to think how many kids the cost of one cruise missle would send to college?
How many mortgages could be paid off for for the money it costs to send one aircraft carrier from here to the Mediterranean?
If Obama is foolish enough to fall into another rat hole of a country for God and the American way he isn't worth any more than these nut jobs are.
Besides,who's gonna pay for it?

[jimbom121]

sir

Obama committed us to a NATO sponsored attack, not US sponsored.

[wfw3536]

This guy is as bad as Obama in his logic that now has us involved in a war in Libya. Why isn't the press reporting on the billions of dollars we are wasting in this new war. How sad these politicans just can't stay out of getting us in one war after the other.

[jimbom121]

No, Graham was us to go it alone, Obama has us with NATO.