Kerry: No doubt Assad used weapons on civilians

Secretary of State John F. Kerry accused critics Tuesday of “armchair isolationism” as the Obama administration officially began making its case to Congress for military strikes in Syria, arguing that there are risks to acting, but that those from inaction are even worse.

Joined by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mr. Kerry said there can no longer be any doubts that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons, and the only question now is whether the U.S. can figure out the right level of response — and can it win congressional backing for that course of action.

“Only the most willful desire to avoid reality can assert this did not occur as described, or that the regime did not do it. It did happen, and the Assad regime did it,” Mr. Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “I can tell you that we know these things beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Most of Congress’s leaders have said they will support President Obama in his request that Capitol Hill authorize retaliatory strikes. But that’s a tougher sell for rank-and-file lawmakers, who have said they have questions both about whether Mr. Obama’s initial “red line” on chemical weapons use was wise, and whether this administration has a workable plan.

Mr. Kerry disputed that the fight is over Mr. Obama’s declaration last year that use of chemical weapons would be a red line

“This debate is about the world’s red line. It’s about humanity’s red line. And it’s a red line that anybody with a conscience ought to draw,” the secretary told his former Senate colleagues.

The tensions over the decisions were highlighted by a protester who, even before the hearing began, rushed to the rope behind the witness table and shouted: “Say no to war in Syria.”

Several others sat in the audience holding anti-war signs.

While some analysts are still questioning whether or not the Syrian regime used chemical weapons, most members of Congress seemed ready to accept the administration’s case that those weapons were used in the Aug. 21 attack, and that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad were responsible.

“In my view there is a preponderance of evidence beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Sen. Robert C. Menendez, New Jersey Democrat and the committee chairman.

Mr. Kerry punctuated that point, saying that the Obama administration has learned the lessons of faulty intelligence from the experience in Iraq, and has repeatedly scrubbed this intelligence to make sure it’s correct.

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC.