Obama's shocking case for attacking Syria: Gruesome
series of videos taken in aftermath of gas attacks that White House is using in
closed-door briefings to persuade lawmakers to back US strikes
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Support: President Obama and Secretary Kerry likely will not
be able to get Congressional support for intervention in Syria
President Barack Obama has been showing an
officially-verified collection of 13 graphic videos to lawmakers that depict
the horrors of the chemical gas attacks in Syria in behind-closed-door
briefings - as he lobbies to win approval for his plan to use military force
against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
So far, support for the president's plan has been sparse,
with even fellow Democrats opposing the use of military force in Syria. He is
preparing a media blitz for Monday and promised Americans in his weekly address
on Saturday that 'This would not be another Iraq
or Afghanistan.'
CNN first obtained the official White House collection of 13
videos showing the carnage of the August 21 chemical weapons attack near the
rebel stronghold of Demascus.
The Obama administration told lawmakers in the Senate
Intelligence Committee - which last week approved plans to attack Syria - that
the videos' authenticity has been verified by the intelligence community.
Many of the videos shown to senators can be found on
Youtube. But what makes this footage unique is the fact that it has been
verified by intelligence officials.
The videos show the panic that set in as people began
experiencing the effects of chemical nerve agents, specifically sarin gas,
which can cause convulsions, respiratory failure and ultimately death.
In one of the more heartbreaking videos, a room is full of
what appear to be the lifeless bodies of dozens of children. In another, men
are seen foaming at the mouth and having convulsions.
In all, 1,429 people were killed in the vicious attack,
including at least 426 children.
The attack allegedly was carried out by the Assad regime,
and U.S.
lawmakers are now deciding whether a military response is warranted.
Obama added in his weekly address: "I know that the
American people are weary after a decade of war, even as the war in Iraq has ended, and the war in Afghanistan is
winding down. That's why we're not putting our troops in the middle of somebody
else's war."
Former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson told the network that
the footage could be vital in the Obama administration's quest to convince
Congress and the general public that military force against Syria is
justified.
'That video will sensitize the American people that this
isn't just an intervention, that this is a military strike to stop that type of
atrocity,' Richardson, a former congressman and former governor of New Mexico, said.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein -
who last week voted in favor of military intervention in Syria - has
seen the shocking videos and wants all members of Congress to watch them before
deciding whether military intervention is justified.
President Obama prepared for a national address Tuesday as a
growing number of lawmakers, including fellow Democrats, opposed the use of
force. The American public didn't yet appear persuaded by Obama's argument that
action is needed to deter the future use of chemical weapons.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who met with more than
two dozen European foreign ministers on Saturday, insisted that international
backing to take strong action against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime
was growing, not receding.
Kerry noted that the ministers, who held an informal meeting
of the European Union in Vilnius,
Lithuania, made
powerful statements condemning the attack, and that increasingly there was a
sense of conviction that Assad was to blame. Kerry said the U.S. had agreed
to provide additional information to those ministers who were not yet convinced
that Assad orchestrated the attack.
The EU endorsed a 'clear and strong response' to a chemical
weapons attack but didn't indicate what type of response they were backing. It
also said that evidence strongly points to the Syrian government. Still, the EU
urged the U.S.
to delay possible military action until U.N. inspectors report their findings.
The Europeans were divided on whether military action would
be effective. Britain's
Parliament has voted against military action. France had been ready to act last
week but held off when Obama declared that he would seek the backing of
Congress. French President Francois Hollande's announcement appeared to catch
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius off guard.
Earlier on Friday, Fabius told EU foreign ministers that
there was no need to wait for the U.N. report because it would simply confirm
what was already known - that the chemical weapons attack had occurred - but
would not say who was responsible.
Hollande indicated Saturday that the U.N. report could be
ready in a matter of days, and he would then be prepared to make a decision on
a French intervention.
'I said ... that I wanted to wait for the inspectors'
report, which I know will be ready within a very reasonable time period, that
is, not that far from the decision of the U.S. Congress,' he told French
television after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in Nice,
France. 'So, at that moment, I'll have all the necessary elements that will let
me tell the French people the decision I have made for France.'
However, Martin Nesirky, chief U.N. spokesman, insisted that
there would be no preliminary report.
The report on the Aug. 21 attack will be given to the U.N.
Security Council and other member states once the lab analysis is complete,
Nesirky said.
'We are not saying when that will be, except as soon as
feasible,' he told The Associated Press. 'This is a scientific timeline, not a
political timeline.'
Kerry traveled Saturday from Lithuania
to Paris to
meet with French official and representatives of the Arab League. He joined
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in hailing the EU statement.
'Some don't believe in taking military action ever at all,'
Kerry said. 'And some want to wait for one thing or another, but the overwhelming
support is moving in the direction of holding the Assad regime accountable.'
Kerry added: 'This is growing, not receding in terms of the
global sense of outrage of what has happened.'
Fabius said if no action were taken, there would be little
hope for a political solution to the crisis.
Obama and other administration officials were preparing a
dayslong push to gain public and congressional support for a strike on Syria. The
challenges they faced were apparent
Saturday. Sen. Mark Pryor, an Arkansas Democrat, said he
would oppose military action, and dozens of people picketed outside the White
House against Obama's request.
Pryor said in a statement that the administration had not
met his criteria for gaining his support: a compelling national security
interest, a clearly defined mission with a definitive end, and a coalition of
allies.
'Unless there's some new information or some new development
or circumstance, I just don't see me changing my vote at this point,' he told
The Associated Press in an interview.
Protesters at the White House chanted 'They say more war; we
say no war' and said their picket line marked a line Congress should not cross
as it prepared to vote on the issue.
'Punishment is not at odds with a political solution,'
Fabius said. 'Bashar Assad will not participate in any negotiation as long as
he believes himself to be invincible.'
Saturday's developments left both the U.S. and
Europeans in a waiting game.
While the Europeans awaited the U.N. inspection report, the
Obama administration waited to see if Congress would back a use of force.
Meantime, administration officials continued to lobby lawmakers by phone to
vote to authorize a limited military strike against the Assad regime.
The first Senate vote, expected Wednesday, was likely to be
on a resolution authorizing the "limited and specified use" of U.S. armed forces against Syria for no
more than 90 days and barring American ground troops from combat. A final vote
in the 100-member chamber was expected at week's end.
A House vote is likely the week of Sept. 16.
Asked about the American public's uneasiness about getting
involved in another conflict, Kerry reiterated his view that the use of
chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict was a threat to the U.S.
'This case has not yet been made to the American people for
more than a few days and we will continue to make the case to the American
people,' Kerry said in Paris.
'This concerns ever American's security.'