The Hill
Obama won't rule out American boots on the ground in Syria
By Julian Pecquet
05/03/13  

President Obama did not rule out sending U.S. troops to Syria on Friday but said he did “not foresee” such a scenario if his administration confirms that Bashar Assad's regime has used chemical weapons. 

“As a general rule, I don't rule things out as commander-in-chief, because circumstances change. You want to make sure I always have the full power of the United States at our disposal to meet American national security interests,” Obama said during a press conference in Costa Rica. “Having said that, I do not foresee a scenario in which American boots on the ground in Syria would not only be good for America but also be good for Syria.” 

He said the regional leaders who want to see Assad gone “agree with that assessment.” 

The president added that if his administration confirms that Assad's regime crossed his “red line” by using chemical weapons, he would take the case for action to the United Nations. 

“If in fact there is a kind of systematic use inside of Syria, we expect that we're going to get additional further evidence. And at that point absolutely we will present that to the international community,” he said. “This is not just an American problem, this is world problem. There are international rules and protocols and norms and ethics. And when it comes to using chemical weapons, the entire world should be concerned.” 

Heading to the United Nations would allow the United States to create the kind of international support that it lacked during the 2003 Iraq invasion while building pressure on Syrian ally Russia to abandon its support for Assad… 

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