Politics & Government

Do You Agree With Your Congressman's View on Syria?

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, praised President Barack Obama's decision to pursue further diplomatic action in Syria.

By: Cody Kitaura
Minutes after President Barack Obama finished telling the nation that a suitable alternative to U.S. military action in Syria would be that country's leader turning over his alleged chemical weapons, the congressman for Petaluma and Healdsburg agreed.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said in a statement that diplomatic action is a far better choice than military action:

 “The President did the right thing by postponing the vote in Congress and acknowledging that we have a new diplomatic channel that deserves pursuing. Getting Assad’s chemical weapons stockpiles into international custody and destroying them is a far better solution than military action, which should always be a last resort. I support the administration’s efforts through the United Nations to eliminate these chemical weapons stockpiles. I will also continue to work in Congress to hold perpetrators of war crimes in Syria accountable. Toward that end, I am co-sponsoring legislation introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-VA) directing the President to seek a special war crimes tribunal through the United Nations, as we saw in the wake of the wars in the former Yugoslavia, to show that chemical weapons and other crimes against humanity will not be tolerated by the international community.”

Huffman represents the Second Congressional District, which includes Healdsburg and Petaluma, but also stretches north along the coast to the Oregon border.

What do you think of his (and the president's) plan to try to get chemical weapons out of the hands of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? Is it the right choice? Tell us in the comments section below.


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