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Congressman Posey released the following statement on the President's call to launch military strikes on Syria:

“I am opposed to military intervention in Syria and have made this clear to the Administration, Congressional leaders, and the public.

“Earlier this summer, I voted for amendments that would prohibit military involvement in Syria without a declaration of war by Congress. After the President indicated in late August that he was considering military intervention, I joined 140 of my colleagues in the House in a bipartisan letter to the President asking that he seek Congressional approval prior to taking military action in Syria. I am pleased that he responded favorably to this request, and that the House is prepared to consider this issue the week of September 9, 2013. Congress should have a say in taking our nation to war.

“The Syrian civil war has been ongoing for more than two years. Estimates are that more than 100,000 lives have been lost and more than a million refugees have fled to neighboring Turkey.

“Syrian President Assad is a dictator. We all know that. But, we also don't have a clear understanding of who would be helped by an attack on Assad. Would it be Al Qaeda? The Muslim Brotherhood? These groups are engaged in fighting Assad. This week's Congressional hearing on the issue demonstrates that the Administration has no clear plan, or chief aim other than to send a message to Assad not to use chemical weapons.

“There are many questions that remain unanswered, such as how is Syria an imminent threat to our national security or that of our allies? What does the President hope to achieve by this action – long-term and near-term? Are such goals even achievable? What becomes of the chemical weapons in Syria in the aftermath of an attack, or in the aftermath of an Assad regime? In whose hands do they end up, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda or some other organization? There are no clear answers to these questions and we should learn from mistakes made in Libya.

“I opposed U.S. military action in Libya because we had no clear idea of who we were helping to replace Quadhafi, another dictator. That intervention has proven to be very problematic, as I anticipated it would be. We have lost the lives of four Americans in Libya, including our Ambassador, and Libya is now a place of utter chaos and lawlessness. It is for similar reasons that I do not believe we should engage militarily in Syria – there is no clear understanding of the mission, goals, or who in the end would benefit.”


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