Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: Failure to Act on Syria a 'Green Light' for Iran

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, weighed in on Wednesday about the Obama administrations plans to attack Syria. Unlike several of her Republican colleagues from the Sunshine State, Ros-Lehtinen is open to backing military action, arguing that failure to act could encourage Americas enemies, including Iran.

Weve been aware of Assads chemical-weapon stockpile for years, yet we failed to hold him accountable, Ros-Lehtinen said. The United Nations has been completely useless at effecting any change in Syria, thanks in no small part to Russia and Chinas persistent stonewalling at the Security Council. And Congress has certainly had our fair share of missed opportunities to affect the course of events in Syria.

Last Congress the House passed the Iran, North Korea, Syria Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act overwhelmingly with a vote of 418 and only 2 against yet the Senate failed to take any action on it, she continued. Had the United States been taking a more proactive role in Syria by instituting strict sanctions against Assads regime, it may have changed his calculations on the use of chemical weapons. In order to justify action now against his regime, and risk further escalating the conflict, the president must clearly identify what our national security interests are.

What are our objectives in limited and targeted air strikes? What does degradation look like, and what will we do if the initial action does not yield the intended results? Ros-Lehtinen asked. One Senate version of the resolution has a limitation on ground troops. This sounds like it leaves open the possibility of boots on the ground for something other than combat operations like special operations. Is this intentional? Will you confirm that under no circumstance will we place boots on the ground in Syria?

We all know were in a tough fiscal environment. Even a limited engagement, if it ends up being only limited, could potentially cost taxpayers billions, she said in conclusion. With members of the Arab League so eager for U.S. participation, have they offered to offset any of the costs associated with the action? Also, Iran and North Korea are carefully watching our next move. If we say that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, yet we fail to act, this will embolden Irans pursuit of nuclear breakout capabilities. A refusal to act in Syria, after the president has set such a clear red line, will be seen as a green light by the Iranian regime who will see that we dont have the will to back up our words.