Harkin, Braley react to Obama’s prime-time speech

Staff for two other Iowa politicians emailed out statements of reaction to the president’s speech tonight. Read them below:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) tonight issued the following statement in response to the President’s primetime address on the situation in Syria.

“I am encouraged by the apparent opening for a multilateral response to the crisis in Syria.  I support and commend the efforts of the President and his Administration to work with the international community and the United Nations to obtain a diplomatic resolution to take control of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.

“The use of chemical weapons against civilians is abhorrent – both from a human rights perspective and from international norms dating back to World War I.   When international norms are violated, those violations should be condemned and addressed by the international community as a whole.”

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) issued the following statement following President Obama’s prime time address on Syria:
 
“I’ve carefully reviewed the case presented by President Obama and his administration for a limited US military strike in Syria, reviewing classified materials, attending classified briefings, and consulting with military officials and the Iowa National Guard. After watching the President’s address tonight, I’m still unconvinced that a limited US military strike is the appropriate response to the atrocities committed in Syria.
 
“I believe the international community needs to be more directly involved in holding Syria’s dictator responsible for breaking international law and violating the Geneva Conventions.
 
“So I’m pleased the President said he’ll explore options that further involve the international community in an effort to hold the Syrian government accountable for its crimes and rid the country of chemical weapons. I’ll watch closely in the coming days to see how these efforts at diplomacy develop.”

The two other members of Iowa’s congressional delegation made statements before the president’s speech. Read those here.  Senator Chuck Grassley and Congressman Dave Loebsack issued statements after the speech. Read those here.