Anne W. Patterson: “The overarching goal at this point is to change the calculus on the battlefield so that the Assad regime has an…”

Certainly not. The President and certainly the Secretary have said many times that Assad's departure is absolutely critical to any future in Syria.

To protect U.S. interests amidst this volatility, we have to recognize and cope with the challenges that states across the region face.

Let me stress that that is our goal, to get Assad out.

Certainly our European allies, our Gulf allies, and Turkey do see that. They are absolutely determined that he will not remain in power.