Antony Blinken actually said...

"Senator Cardin, I think you are exactly right that in a sense the harder questions are almost what follows the military defeat of Daesh in Iraq and certainly in Syria."

"We will not fully succeed in destroying Daesh until we resolve the civil war in Syria."

"The U.S. must provide more decisive leadership to protect the civilian population."

"The conflict continues to be fueled by patrons and proxies with very divergent interests."