It didn’t take long for reaction to last night’s speech on Syria by President Barack Obama.
One notable set of comments were put forth by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) who said, the president "didn't quite convince me" on the need to launch a military strike on Syria. But Paul went on to add he felt it was a compelling speech making the case against the Syrian dictator President Bashar Assad and his gassing of Syrian civilians.
As Sen. Paul put it, "If Assad is responsible he deserves death for this, but the president's plan is to leave Assad alone, he said after the speech on CNN.
Mimicking what many have said in Washington, Sen. Paul commented that being on the side of the rebels was equivalent of being with al-Qaida.
He added he doubts the dictator will be held accountable for any chemical attacks even if a deal can be brokered with the Russians. Assad will not be forced to leave office regardless of what the final outcome is short of war.
Obama’s usage of video showing dying children that were victims of the infamous August attack were forceful but there was still no compelling interest in the United States becoming involved.
The only reasons the senator could find that would bring the U.S. into direct conflict with Syria were "American soldiers, American business, American citizens, a direct threat to an ally, NATO ally, Israel."
The senator doesn’t feel there’s a chance that Obama’s request for action will be passed in the House, but possibly the Senate. "The calls are 100-1" against, he said. "I think rather than risk defeat, there won't be vote."
He further commented there was no compelling reason to trust anything the Russians promise saying "If they're serious its' a good step forward and I'm more than happy to even give the president credit if it actually happens."
Like many in Washington, Sen. Paul now feels the issue will fade from sight for weeks or even months.
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