Posted By Josh Rogin
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 - 1:40 PM
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Many in Congress are getting impatient with what they see as a lack of concrete action by the Obama administration to condemn and punish the Syrian government for its brutal crackdown on civilian protesters. Today, 16 senators are co-sponsoring a resolution calling on the administration to get tough on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) spearheaded the resolution (PDF) with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and John McCain (R-AZ). The foursome held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon at the Capitol to announce their new effort and demand that the Obama administration expand its activities to sanction, condemn, and pressure the Syrian government to stop killing civilians in the streets.
"I know that there are some who had hoped when these
protests first broke out that Bashar al- Assad would pursue the path of reform
rather than the path of violence and brutality. But that has clearly not been
his choice. He is not a reformer. He is a thug and a murderer who is pursuing
the Qaddafi model, and hopes to get away with it," said Lieberman.
"First and foremost, [the resolution] sends a clear message that Bashar al
Assad -- through his campaign of violence -- has lost legitimacy, and puts the
Senate squarely on record as standing with the aspirations of the Syrian people,"
Lieberman added.
The resolution condemns the Syrian government for its crackdown on peaceful protesters, violating international human rights agreements, withholding food, water, and basic medical services to civilians, and torturing protesters in government custody. The resolution also mentions Iran's assistance to Syria's repressive government and Syrian meddling in Lebanon, which has included transferring weapons to Hezbollah.
The senators want the administration to expand the targeted sanctions it imposed last month on senior Syrian government officials, sanction Assad directly, expand the effort to combat media and information censorship in Syria, engage more with the Syrian opposition, and seek condemnation of Syria at the U.N. Security Council. The senators also want President Barack Obama to speak publicly about the crisis there.
"It's time to indict the guy who is giving the orders," said McCain. "And it's time for the President of the United States to speak up."
Two senior Senate aides said they expect the resolution to move to the Senate floor and be passed relatively soon.
Importantly, the Senate resolution declares that the Syrian government "has lost legitimacy" and expresses the belief that the Syrian people should determine their own political future. The State Department has resisted making that statement, knowing that once the administration declares Assad is no longer "legitimate," all efforts to work with the Syrian government to encourage better behavior will become more difficult.
Pressed repeatedly on that very question at Tuesday's briefing, State Department spokesman Mark Toner refused to say the Syrian government was no longer legitimate.
"We believe that he needs to take concrete steps to cease violence against innocent protesters and civilians, and he needs to address their legitimate aspirations," he said.
But Syria's main advocate in the Senate, SFRC Chairman John Kerry (D-MA), told The Cable on Tuesday that Assad's chance to be a reformer had passed.
"I said we have to put him to the test. I've always said it's a series of tests," Kerry said. "The chance was lost and that's the end of it."
UPDATE: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) is now also a co-sponsor of the resolution, bringing the total number of co-sponsors to 17.
AFP/Getty Images
EXPLORE:ARAB WORLD, MIDDLE EAST, DIPLOMACY, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, STATE DEPARTMENT, SYRIA, U.S. CONGRESS, U.S. FOREIGN POLICY 
What really gets me is how politicians can sit and say that Assad still has a chance at reform. If I asked a handful of citizens how would they feel if their leader made reforms after killing nearly 1,000 citizens....you know what the answer would be. Of course no one is going to have any respect for his authority, except those unfortunate citizens who have fallen prey to the Assad regimes brainwashing tactics. It's a real mess and it breaks my heart as an American citizen that nothing can be done to stop these thugs.
The Syrian people are since 40 under corruption, poverty and torture, because of this brutal regime who stole the money of the poor Syrian people.
The Syrian people simple want justice and freedom for all Syrian Muslim and Christian, Arabs and Curds.
We want a good relationship with all our neighbors and the peace in the Middle East and the whole world is the demand of all Syrian people.
The regime produces terrorist groups to buy them to America and Europe in order to let them still support him, because this corrupt regime doe not have a base in Syria.
If there is real election, he won’t get more than 20 percent in the best case.
The people in Syria assert that their revolution should still peaceful but the regime is trying to enforce them to violence in order to use not only tanks but also aircraft.
It is impossible now to live in Syria either you should be lair and say you love him or you and your family will be tortured. The regime has arrested thousands of people in the night from their houses and still torturing them in yards and football studios. His forces have destroyed the houses and stole every thing they found in their houses.
The wounded people can not be delivered to hospital because the regime refuses to accept them in the hospital and it arrests the people who help them to get to hospital.
Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
America, Europe, Iran and Hezbollah "the same goal "
It is really very strange that America, Europe, Iran and Hezbollah have the same goal to support the brutal regime. All are silent about massacres and really what happens is more than 1000 times of international crimes against humanity.
Iran supports the regime with weapons and Hezbollah with snipers and liar propagandas and also Lebanon and Iraqi (Mullahs government) are trying to prevent the Arabs to make meeting.
Lebanon and Iraq now under Iran and they support this brutal regime because it connects Iran with Hezbollah and without Syrian regime the Iranian regime will be isolated and can not harm any body and it will die without any enemy on its shoulder Iranian problems could be shifted.
Silence of America and Europe means that they accept this crimes and support terrorist regimes. I am sure the Syrian people would not live any more under this regime. May a lot of them will burn themselves or they will flee in the sea to other countries and that will affect the peace of the world.
I am first saying “the death is more merciful than the live under this liar, corrupt, brutal regime” Freedom and Justice for every Syrian.
Live to free Syria...................live to free Syria
because these Senators have zero capacity to weigh in on any leader's legitimacy. President Obama lacks that capacity. If it exists, and no mechanism has as yet been created to make this kind of finding, and if the power to do so exists, it rests either in the UNSC or in the ICJ.
Humanitarian, democratic and religious appeals have a long history of being used to justify aggression, and I really hate to see R2P abused in this fashion.
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I asked a handful of citizens how would they feel if their leader made reforms after killing nearly 1,000 citizens....you know what the answer would be. Of course no one sázkové kancelá?e is going to have any respect for his authority, except those unfortunate citizens who have fallen prey to the Assad regimes brainwashing tactics. It's a real mess and it breaks my heart as an American citizen that nothing can be done to stop these thugs.All are silent about massacres and really what happens is more than 1000 times of international crimes against humanity.Iran supports the regime sázkové kancelá?e with weapons and Hezbollah with snipers and liar propagandas and also Lebanon and Iraqi (Mullahs government) are trying to prevent the Arabs to make meeting.
Lebanon and Iraq now under Iran and they support this brutal regime because it connects Iran with Hezbollah and without Syrian regime the Iranian regime will be isolated and can not harm any body and it will die without any enemy on its shoulder Iranian problems could be shifted.
If there is real election, he won’t get more than 20 percent in the best case.
The people in Syria assert that their revolution should still peaceful but the regime is trying to enforce them to violence in order to use not only tanks but also aircraft.It is impossible now to live in Syria either you should be lair and say you love sázkové kancelá?e him or you and your family will be tortured. The regime has arrested thousands of people in the night from their houses and still torturing them in yards and football studios. His forces have destroyed the houses and stole every thing they found in their houses.If I asked a handful of citizens how would they feel if their leader made reforms after killing nearly 1,000 citizens....you know what the answer would be. Of course no one is going to have any respect for his authority, except those unfortunate citizens who have fallen prey to the Assad regimes brainwashing tactics. It's a real mess and it breaks my heart as an American citizen that nothing can be done to stop these thugs.
All are silent about massacres and really what happens is more than 1000 times of international crimes against humanity.Iran supports the regime with weapons sázkové kancelá?e and Hezbollah with snipers and liar propagandas and also Lebanon and Iraqi (Mullahs government) are trying to prevent the Arabs to make meeting.
Lebanon and Iraq now under Iran and they support this brutal regime because it connects Iran with Hezbollah and without Syrian regime the Iranian regime will be isolated and can not harm any body and it will die without any enemy on its shoulder Iranian problems could be shifted.Silence of America and Europe means sázkové kancelá?e that they accept this crimes and support terrorist regimes. I am sure the Syrian people would not live any more under this regime.
John Hudson reports on national security and foreign policy from the Pentagon to Foggy Bottom, the White House to Embassy Row, for The Cable.
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