the U.S. wouldn't do anything about it
The President is asking for a limited authority to degrade his current capacity and to deter him from using it again.
There is no way possible that by mutual consent Assad is going to be part of that future.
what happens in Syria is a vital national interest to the United States and to our national security
The alternative is that you stand back and do nothing and Syria, in fact, implodes, becomes an enclave state.
Everything is being considered, and all of these things are being evaluated.
when America ignores these problems, these problems don't ignore us
Our goal is to help the opposition. You have to look overall.
The President is asking for the Congress to take steps that will specifically deter and degrade Assad's capacity to use ...
The reason is that the President is listening to the American people and has made a policy decision.
I am a bit skeptical that what the President is asking for will provide the support needed to achieve these objectives