Reports on Tuesday revealed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies again targeted civilians in a deadly attack where chemical weapons were used. The attack was one of the worst chemical attacks in the six-year Syrian civil war.
Rewind back to the fall of 2013, when the Obama administration was working with Syrian and Russian leaders to ensure that Assad's stockpile of chemical weapons would be turned over and destroyed.
A deal was reached, and the Obama administration and fellow Democrats applauded the achievement.
The agreement was struck a year after former President Barack Obama drew his now infamous "red line" in August 2012, when he threatened military action against Assad if he used chemical weapons.
Rewind back to the fall of 2013, when the Obama administration was working with Syrian and Russian leaders to ensure that Assad's stockpile of chemical weapons would be turned over and destroyed.
A deal was reached, and the Obama administration and fellow Democrats applauded the achievement.
The agreement was struck a year after former President Barack Obama drew his now infamous "red line" in August 2012, when he threatened military action against Assad if he used chemical weapons.
The Obama White House even tweeted out a statement promoting its achievement.
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President Obama on eliminating the Syrian regime's “most lethal declared chemical weapons” → http://go.wh.gov/ZRP2X8
11:14 PM - 18 Aug 2014
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White House Archived ✔@ObamaWhiteHouse
President Obama on eliminating the Syrian regime's “most lethal declared chemical weapons” → http://go.wh.gov/ZRP2X8
11:14 PM - 18 Aug 2014
In May 2015, Bloomberg reported that Assad used chemical weapons after the Obama administration declared Syria had turned over its entire stockpile. Obama dismissed the report and said chlorine is not "historically" considered a chemical weapon–despite chlorine gas being one of the world's first chemicals weaponized for modern warfare.
After the report, Obama administration officials continued to say that Syria turned over all of its chemical weapons.
After the report, Obama administration officials continued to say that Syria turned over all of its chemical weapons.
Before leaving office, Obama was asked in a "60 Minutes" interview if he would have done things differently when it came to Syria.
"Would you take it back?" Steve Kroft asked Obama, referring to the red-line comment.
"I would have, I think, made a bigger mistake if I had said, ‘Eh, chemical weapons. That doesn't really change my calculus.' I think it was important for me as president of the United States to send a message that in fact there is something different about chemical weapons," Obama said. "And, regardless of how it ended up playing, I think–in the Beltway, what is true is Assad got rid of his chemical weapons."
"Would you take it back?" Steve Kroft asked Obama, referring to the red-line comment.
"I would have, I think, made a bigger mistake if I had said, ‘Eh, chemical weapons. That doesn't really change my calculus.' I think it was important for me as president of the United States to send a message that in fact there is something different about chemical weapons," Obama said. "And, regardless of how it ended up playing, I think–in the Beltway, what is true is Assad got rid of his chemical weapons."
