Tom Udall: “I rise today to speak about the very serious vote before us--the vote to authorize force against Syria. Let's be clear…”

“I rise today to speak about the very serious vote before us--the vote to authorize force against Syria. Let's be clear: This is a vote to authorize an act of war. The American people are watching. They know what this is--a dilemma with no easy answers. They know it could spiral out of control. It has happened before and it could happen again. The use of chemical weapons is an outrage. What happened in Syria was despicable. The horror is clear. The world cannot look away. This crime is a crime against humanity. It demands an international response-- strong and unequivocal. On this we can all agree. However, what should that response be? The President has presented a plan for military strikes on the Syrian regime--an attack that has been presented to the American people as limited in scope but with very great consequences. So we are confronted with urgent appeals to strike, but I believe there are strong reasons not to do so. First, we should pursue all diplomatic and economic options to pressure both Asad and his backers to change course. We have not yet done that to the fullest extent. We all know the Russian Government is aiding and abetting the criminal regime in Syria, supplying military support, providing diplomatic cover, and preventing an international response to this atrocity. The world is rightly outraged. That outrage should be loud and clear, and the full force of international condemnation must be exerted, not just against Asad.…”