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HOMELAND SECURITY CHAIRMAN, JOE
LIEBERMAN, WELCOME, PAUL
WOLFOWITZ, THIS IS KIND OF A
CHEEKY QUESTION, HOW MUCH
EMPHASIS DO YOU PUT ON THE
CLAIMS FOR THE USE OF CHEMICAL
WEAPONS BY ASSAD?
>> PIERS, THERE WERE NO LIES,
EVERYBODY SAW THE SAME
INTELLIGENCE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE
CHANGED THEIR TUNE AFTERWARDS.
THE REAL POINT IS, LOOK, PEOPLE
ARE CONCERNED NOT BECAUSE OF THE
INTELLIGENCE, BUT THEY'RE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY
OF AMERICAN CASUALTIES.
AND ON THAT POINT I WOULD
ACTUALLY AGREE WITH SECRETARY
KERRY WHO SAYS THIS IS NOT IRAQ,
IT IS NOT AFGHANISTAN, I DON'T
THINK -- FRANKLY IF WE DON'T USE
MANNED AIRCRAFT THERE IS NO RISK
OF AMERICAN CASUALTIES IN THESE
STRIKES, AT LEAST.
SO I THINK IT IS FAIR TO
EMPHASIZE IT.
THERE IS AN EERIE SIMILARITY IN
ONE RESPECT, NOT TO IRAQ IN 2003
BUT IN 1991, THERE WERE REPORTS
THAT SADDAM WAS DROPPING
CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON THE SHIITES.
THE REPORTS WERE NOT CONFIRMED
UNTIL 12 YEARS LATER, BUT WE
LEARNED YES IN FACT THEY HAD
ORDERED THE USE OF CHEMICAL
WEAPONS AGAINST THE SHIITES.
OF COURSE, THAT WAS ALREADY
OVER.
>> ONE COMPARISON IS TO THE
NAZIS.
>> THE REAL ISSUE HERE IS
WHETHER OR NOT THE CONGRESS IS
GOING TO STAND UP FOR
INTERNATIONAL NORMS WITH RESPECT
TO DICTATORS THAT HAVE ONLY BEEN
BROKEN TWICE UNTIL ASSAD.
HITLER AND SADDAM HUSSEIN.
>> VERY SHORT-TERM EFFORT THAT
DEGRADES HIS CAPACITY TO DELIVER
CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
WITHOUT ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITY
FOR SYRIA'S CIVIL WAR.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT DOING.
UNBELIEVABLY SMALL, LIMITED KIND
OF EFFORT.
>> SEE, HERE IS MY PROBLEM,
SENATOR, HOW DO YOU SAY ON ONE
HAND THIS IS THE NEW HITLER
WE'RE DEALING WITH, AND ON THE
OTHER HAND, SAY IT IS GOING TO
BE AN UNBELIEVABLY SMALL
MILITARY ACTION?
THAT IS NOT HOW ONE WOULD DEAL
WITH HITLER?
>> WELL, I'M SURE THAT JOHN
KERRY SAID HE WISHED HE WOULDN'T
HAVE SAID SMALL, HE DESCRIBED
THE ATTACK AS BEING LIMITED BUT
DECISIVE.
THAT IS BETTER PHRASING.
BUT I TELL YOU, SECRETARY KERRY
HAD A POINT THAT -- WE HAVE BEEN
CHALLENGED HERE.
NOT JUST BY THE USE OF GAS,
WHICH LINKS BASHAR AL-ASSAD TO
ADOLF HITLER, BUT BY ALL THAT
HAPPENED IN THE '30s AS THE U.S.
PARTICULARLY WATCHED, DRAWN BY
ISOLATIONISM, THE FASCISTS MOVED
FORWARD, AND FINALLY AT A LATE
HOUR, THANK GOD, DECISIVELY.
THIS IS A REAL THREAT.
AND IF WE TURN AWAY FROM IT, OUR
ALLIES ARE GOING TO BE SHAKING.
THE ENEMIES WILL BE BOLDER.
AND INEVITABLY, WE'LL BE DRAWN
INTO A LARGER CONFLICT THAT WILL
LATER COST US MORE LIVES AND