As President Barack Obama kicks off an all-out push for a strike on Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry came under fire on Monday for saying any attack would be “unbelievably small” and suggesting the Syrian ruler still had a week to give up his chemical weapons to avoid a U.S. assault - a remark Kerry’s spokeswoman later attempted to clarify.
The off-key comments came in a joint press conference in London with Britain’s foreign secretary, where Kerry said the strike would be able to harm Assad without putting American troops on the ground and with a “very limited, very targeted, short-term effort.”
“That is exactly what we are talking about doing – unbelievably small, limited kind of effort,” Kerry said, according to reports.
The comments, which dismayed even supporters of an attack on Syria, added fuel to the debate as Obama launches a full court press 48-hour media and political blitz to try to sell the plan to a skeptical American public and Congress.
On Monday, Obama will sit down with anchors from six networks, PBS, CNN, Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC, for seven- to 10-minute interviews that will air Monday night. On Tuesday, the president will address the nation from the Oval Office in prime time.
The White House was also expected to continue to reach out to members of Congress through high-profile Cabinet members as well as the vice president and president himself. On Monday afternoon, National Security Adviser Susan Rice was set to hold a public speaking event on Syria at the New America Foundation.
Via: Politico
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