Hillary Clinton backs President Obama’s plan for military action in Syria. The former Secretary of State endorsed the plan on Tuesday, giving another boost to the Obama administration’s call for action.
Clinton’s announcement wasn’t a big surprise, as she supported a more aggressive approach to Syria during her tenure as secretary.
ABC News received a statement from one of the former first lady’s aides , which said that Clinton “supports the president’s effort to enlist the Congress in pursuing a strong and targeted response to the Assad regime’s horrific use of chemical weapons.”
Clinton has been absent from the debate on Syria since she left office in February. Her final comments as Secretary of State included a defense of the administration’s strategy for Syria.
She stayed silent last month, despite allegations of a massive chemical weapons attack on August 21. According to the Obama administration, 1,400 people died in the attack.
USA Today notes that the aide’s comments were the first whispers of Clinton’s thoughts on the situation in Syria. While they were in Obama’s Cabinet, both Hillary Clinton and former CIA Director David Petraeus proposed arming and training Syrian rebels.
But their idea was rejected. The United States has been providing Syrian rebels with humanitarian aid, but has so far declined to offer any weapons to them.
But that could change with the new developments of the past few weeks. President Obama is also confident that Congress will authorize a limited strike on Syria in response to chemical weapons use.
The president’s aides have been working to address concerns members of Congress may have about the possible military intervention. Many have said that the Syria resolution drafted by the White House is not specific enough.
It is possible that Hillary Clinton will address the Syria situation in more detail next week. She is set to step back into the national spotlight with a speech at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
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