Schakowsky: Too Many Questions Remain About Syria
CHICAGO (CBS) -- U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said Thursday that Congress must have a say about what to do about the ongoing civil war in Syria, after the Obama administration concluded the Syrian government used chemical weapons on civilians.
WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports Schakowsky said there are still too many unanswered questions.
"How are we going to express that it is against civilization to use chemical weapons? If our side can get away with chemical weapons, are we saying that now … all bets are off, and any country could use them?" she said. "On the other hand, can we do something that will actually make a difference in this war against their own citizens in Syria? None of these questions have been sufficiently answered, in my view, yet."
Schakowsky said Congress is anxious to weigh in.
"This is not easy, this is a very difficult question," she said. "Since it's not a threat to the United States … allowing the president to make a unilateral decision, Congress is interested in weighing in."
She said the U.S. needs to know what kind of action it can take against Syria, without getting into a full-blown war, while still punishing Syrian dictator Bashar Hafez al-Assad for chemical weapon attacks on civilians.
