Rep. Adam Kinzinger: There Can Be No Assad In Syria | Morning Joe

>> SO YESTERDAY WE LAID OUT THE LIMITED OPTIONS IN SYRIA FROM A
FULL SCALE GROUNDS INVASION TO ESTABLISHING A NO-FLY ZONE.
OUR NEXT GUEST SAID THERE WAS NO FUTURE FOR THAT COUNTRY WITH
PRESIDENT ASSAD STILL IN POWER. SO HOW DOES THE U.S. MAKE THAT
HAPPEN? JOINING US FROM CAPITOL HILL,
DEPUTY REPUBLICAN WHIP, ADAM KINZINGER FROM ILLINOIS.
>> THANK YOU. >> I SAY THIS, I JUST HONESTLY
WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR GUT IS ON THE PRESIDENT'S POTENTIAL TO
HAVE A WELL THOUGHT OUT POLICY ON SYRIA?
GIVEN THAT HE HAS LIMITED CREDIBILITY ON SOME OF THE
THINGS THEY SAID ABOUT THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND OTHER
PEOPLE, EVEN SUSAN RICE, RECENTLY, IT'S, I MEAN IT IN ALL
HONESTY, WHERE DO WE MOVE FORWARD HERE?
HOW DO WE HAVE HOPE THERE COULD BE SOMETHING PUT FORWARD ON THIS
CRISIS THAT IS CREDIBLE? >> WELL, LOOK.
I SAW THE PRESIDENT'S PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY.
I WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY IT. I SAW A MAN THAT REALLY SAID,
LOOK, I THOUGHT A WEEK AGO I FELT DIFFERENTLY THAN ASSAD.
I SAW THE IMAGES. HE SAID I BEAR RESPONSIBILITY
FROM THE BUCK STOPS WITH ME HERE FORWARD.
THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF OPTIONS IN SYRIA.
EVERY DAY THAT GOES BY, THOSE OPTIONS BECOME LESS.
AT LEAST IN THE SHORT TERM, WE HAVE NEVER HELD AS A FRANKLY
MUCH LESS AS A COUNTRY. CHEMICAL WEAPONS HAVE NO PLACE
ON THE BATTLEFIELD SINCE WORLD WAR I WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THIS
CONFLICT. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
HAVE STRIKES AGAINST THE REGIME AND BASICALLY SAY, LOOK THE COST
OF USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS THE COST OF SUFFOCATING CHILDREN TO
DEATH WITH A WMD IS GOING TO EXCEED ANY WHAT IF.
>> MICHAEL DUFFY, WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES AND WHAT ARE THE
DANGERS GIVEN WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT TRUMP'S USES.
>> I THINK INEVITABLE THE PRESIDENT WILL LAUNCH SOME TYPE
OF MILITARY STRIKE, PROBABLY CRUZ MISSILES IN THE NEXT SEVEN
TO TEN DAYS, HE IS DUTY BOUND AS A STANDARD.
>> AS IF WE DON'T FIGHT ENOUGH WARS.
>> CONGRESSMAN, BEYOND THAT, WHAT OTHER STEPS WOULD YOU
RECOMMEND THAT AS YOU SAID MAKE IT CLEAR THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE?
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE EXPECTING A SECOND WAVE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN
BY THAT? >> I THINK THE BARE MINIMUM IS A
FIRST WAY TO MAKE IT CLEAR THE BARE MINIMUM WE CAN DO IS SAY
DON'T USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS, THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THAT IN
YOUR WORLD. ON THE SECOND, IF I HAD MY
DRUTHERS AND I CAN MAKE A DECISION HERE, OUR ALLIES IN THE
MIDDLE EAST ARE CLEAR THEY HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN DOING THE
WORK ON THE GROUND, THEY HAVE TO ACCEPT THERE CAN BE NO ASSAD IN
SYRIA. KEEP IN MIND, ASSAD IS CREATING
THIS BRUTAL ENVIRONMENT I THINK IT WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR ISIS
TO RECRUIT. IF YOU ARE A TEN-YEAR-OLD KID,
YOUR DAD WAS KILLED BY SOMEBODY. YOU SEE ISIS AS THE ONLY KIND OF
OPPONENT TO BASHAR AL-ASSAD AND BRUTALIZED THEIR FAMILY AND YOU
DON'T HAVE AN EDUCATION OR OPPORTUNITY, SO I WOULD LIKE TO
SEE LONG-TERM HUMANITARIAN SAFE ZONES, A NO-FLY ZONE ENFORCED BY
THE UNITED STATES AND ITS ALLIES AND ULTIMATELY THERE WILL NEED
TO BE A GROUND FORCE, IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE AMERICAN TROOPS.
I THINK THE MIDDLE EAST PARTNERS HAVE SAID THEY ARE WILLING TO DO
IT. >> ARE YOU RECOMMENDING SOME
OPTIONS THAT ARE PRETTY RO BUST USE OF MILITARY FORCE, DO YOU
THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP CAN DO
UNILATERALLY OR -- >>.
>> YES OKAY. A WHAT KWEEND OF ALLIANCE SHOULD
HE SEEK OUT, HOW SHOULD HE GO ABOUT DOING IT?
ALSO, SHOULD THERE BE CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL OF THIS
MILITARY ACTION THAT YOU ARE RECOMMENDING?
>> SO I REALLY PUT A LOT OF FOREIGN POLICY POWER IN THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH. I THINK HE AND PRESIDENT OBAMA
IN 2013 COULD HAVE AS WELL. I THINK HE CAN MAKE THE DECISION
WITHOUT COMING TO CONGRESS. WE HAVE THE POWER TO DECLARE
WAR. HE HAS THE POWER FOR INITIAL
STRIKES LIKE THAT AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.
I THINK HE CAN PUT A COALITION TOGETHER.
SOMETHING THE YOU UNITED STATES CAN UNIQUELY DO.
LET ME SAY THIS, TOO, I THINK WE CAN COME TO A NEGOTIATED
SOLUTION IN SYRIA. ASSAD HAS TO KNOW THE
ALTERNATIVE TO HIM STEPPING AWAY FROM POWER, FINDING SANCTUARY
FROM SOMEONE LIKE RUSSIA, THEY SEEM TO LOVE HIM.
THE ALTERNATIVE IS, HE MAY DIE. YOU DO THAT BY UP FLICTING
STRIKES AGAINST THE REGIME, HAVING A STICK BEHIND THE CARROT
AND THE CARROT IS SAYING, NOW WE CAN PURSUE A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION
N. LEW OF THAT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO STRIKE.
>> CONGRESSMAN, CAN I QUICKLY FOLLOW UP?
YOU MENTIONED RUSSIA, HOW DO YOU PROPOSE DECON FLICTING THEM OAK.
THIS CAN PULL US INTO WAR WITH RUSSIA IN THE KIND OF STRIKES
YOU ARE RECOMMENDING, WHERE YOU KNOW WE COULD KILL RUSSIAN
SOLDIERS? >> WELL THE RUSSIANS, WHAT I'M
ADVOCATE IN THE EARLY STAGES IS DESTROYING AIR FIELDS, SO A
DEFACTO FLY ZONE, TAKING DOWN MISSILE DEFENSE AND HITTING
COMMAND AND CONTROL MODES IN DAMASCUS, EFFECTIVELY
DECAPITATEING ASSAD FROM HIS FIELD OF FORCES SO HE CAN'T
COMMUNICATE WITH THEM AND EVERYONE ELSE, IF THERE ARE
RUSSIANS IN THOSE AREAS, FRANKLY, THAT IS ON THEM.
WHAT'S AMAZING TO ME, SINCE THE RUSSIAN VERSUS COME INTO SYRIA,
WITH I THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE WE HAVE USED THIS AS A REASON FOR
INACTION. WE COLLECTIVELY WE HEARD IT OUT
HERE. LOOK, THE RUSSIANS MADE A
DECISION TO BACK A GUY THAT USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS, IF I WAS THE
RUGS, I WOULD GET OUT OF THERE YOU HAVE THE EYE OF THE WORLD
COMING DOWN ON YOU, IT MIGHT BE THE WRONG THING TO DO.
>> CONGRESSMAN, WE ARE NOT THE RUSSIANS AS YOU KNOW AND
THROUGHOUT HIS CAMPAIGN, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BEEN SAYING
WHY NOT LET RUSSIA DO THE WORK FOR US?
WHY NOT LET RUSSIA HAND HIM SYRIA?
SO RUSSIA IN SOME WAY, SHAPE OR FORM IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE
INVOLVED IN WHATEVER THE PRESIDENT DECIDES TO DO
REGARDING SYRIA. SO HOW DO YOU THINK HE GOES
ABOUT THAT? DO YOU THINK HE PICKS UP THE
PHONE AND CALLS VLADIMIR PUTIN? WHAT DO THEY NEGOTIATE?
AND WHAT DOES VLADIMIR PUTIN HAVE AS TO GAIN OUT OF IT?
>> I THINK THE CALCULUS CHANGED THREE DAYS AGO.
I HAVE BEEN CORRECT, AL OF THE PRESIDENT, OBVIOUSLY.
BUT I LOOKED AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE, I SAW IN HIM TO SAY
I THOUGHT DIFFERENTLY OF ASSAD DIFFERENTLY A WEEK AGO IS
ADMITTING SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED.
IF THERE WILL BE A LINE OPENED TO THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO
SAY, LOOK, WE ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING, YOU MIGHT WANT TO
MAKE SURE YOUR PEOPLE AREN'T AROUND AND GET OUT OF SYRIA,
BECAUSE YOU ARE ENABLING A GUY THAT CHOKES CHILDREN TO DEATH
WITH GAS. THAT'S FINE.
THERE MAY BE OTHER AREAS IN THE WORLD WE CAN WORK WITH THE
RUSSIANS, WHETHER IN CHINA OR WHEREVER ELSE.
WE CAN'T ALLOW THEM TO TAKE EUROPE AND THEY BACK PEOPLE THAT
USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS. IT'S SUSPECT WE HAVEN'T SEEN
SINCE WORLD WAR I. WE CANNOT GET

Rep. Adam Kinzinger: There Can Be No Assad In Syria | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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