Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack is “not convinced at this point” a U.S. missile strike into Syria is “the right thing to do.”
“I think we all do agree that it was absolutely hideous and repulsive what Mr. Assad did to his people,” Loebsack said Thursday during an interview on Iowa Public Radio. “…The real question is what, if anything, can be done to prevent it and deter him in the future.”
Loebsack, who is from Iowa City, was on a conference call with the White House chief of staff for about an hour Wednesday, being lobbied on the issue, but Loebsack’s still not inclined to vote for the resolution authorizing the attack into Syria.
“I would say I’m definitely leaning in the ‘no’ category because I’m unconvinced,” Loebsack said. “…I have yet to see the evidence that what the president is proposing will, in fact, accomplish the goal that he has set out and that is to deter and degrate the capabilities, at least, of this really hideous dictator.”
According to Loebsack, the American public is “war-weary.”
“Folks are not anxious to get involved in another conflict, however limited that may be at least at the outset,” Loebsack said. “I think people are very concerned about boots on the ground, they’re very concerned about getting deeply involved in the Middle East. They’re very concerned about potentially a wider conflict resulting from any action we may take.”
In addition, Loebsack isn’t convinced many of our international allies would join the U.S. in an attack on Syria.
Two other Iowa congressmen — Democrat Bruce Braley and Republican Tom Latham — both say they’re not convinced a military strike on Syria is the correct response to the chemical weapons attack last month in Syria. Republican Congressman Steve King of Kiron told The Omaha Herald last week that it appears President Obama is determined to kill some Syrians to try to get Syria’s president to quit killing Syrians.