WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama told the nation from the White House on Wednesday night that diplomacy suddenly holds "the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons" in Syria without use of force, but he declared the U.S. military will "be ready to respond" against President Bashar Assad if other measures fail.

For now, Obama said he had asked congressional leaders to postpone a vote on legislation he has been seeking to authorize the use of military force against Syria.

In a 16-minute speech, the president repeatedly offered reassurances that even the failure of diplomacy — in promised talks at the United Nations or elsewhere — would not plunge America into another war.

"I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria," he promised. "I will not pursue an open-ended action like Iraq or Afghanistan. I will not pursue a prolonged air campaign like Libya or Kosovo."

"This would be a targeted strike to achieve a clear objective: deterring the use of chemical weapons and degrading Assad's capabilities," he said.

The speech capped a frenzied 10-day stretch of events that began when he unexpectedly announced he was stepping back from a threatened military strike and instead asking Congress first to pass legislation authorizing the use of such force against Assad.

With public opinion polls consistently showing widespread opposition to American military intervention, the White House has struggled mightily to generate support among lawmakers — liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans alike — who have expressed fears of involvement in yet another war in the Middle East and have questioned whether U.S. national security interests were at stake in Syria. Obama had trouble, as well, building international support for a military attack designed to degrade Assad's military.

Suddenly, though, events took another unexpected turn this week. First Russia and then Syria reacted positively to a remark from Secretary of State John Kerry indicating that the crisis could be defused if Damascus agreed to put its chemical weapons under international control.

The president said he was sending Kerry to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday, and he added, "I will continue my own discussion" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has said he had been discussing ways out of the Syrian predicament for some time.

At the same time, he said the United States and its allies would work with Russia and China to present a resolution to the United Nations Security Council "requiring Assad to give up his chemical weapons and to ultimately destroy them under international control."

Acknowledging the weariness the nation feels after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama said, "America is not the world's policeman."

And yet, he added, "When with modest effort and risk we can stop children from being gassed to death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run, I believe we should act. That's what makes America different. That's what makes us exceptional."

"Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security, are at stake in Syria, along with our leadership of a world where we seek to ensure that the worst weapons will never be used," he declared.

Obama recounted the events of the deadly chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21 that the United States blames on Assad.

"When dictators commit atrocities, they depend upon the world to look the other way until these horrifying pictures fade from memory. But these things happened.

The facts cannot be denied," he said.

The president said firmly that Assad's alleged attack was "not only a violation of international law, it's also a danger to our security."

If diplomacy now fails and the United States fails to act, he said, "the Assad regime will see no reason to stop using chemical weapons" and "other tyrants will have no reason to think twice about acquiring poison gas and using" it. Over time, he added, U.S. troops could face the threat of chemical warfare, and if fighting escapes Syria's border, "these weapons could threaten allies like Turkey, Jordan and Israel."


http://news.yahoo.com/obama-delays-syria-vote-says-diplomacy-may-021423919--politics.html

Seems America suddenly have a change of attitude as Russia and China poses threat to them also.

mannobi: Seems America suddenly have a change of attitude as Russia and China poses threat to them also.

[b]Guy, u no get sense at all, just small sense no dey your head.How do you think Russia or China could stop US from attacking Syria if Syria did not welcome Russian foreign minister's suggestion to hand over all there chemical weapons to be under international supervision.Let me remind you that it was US secretary of States that initially made the statement while seeking backup from there ally UK to carryout military intervention in Syria.He said the only way to stop US from engaging Syria militarily is for them to hand over all there chemical weapons to be under international supervision and then subsequently to destroy it.I laugh when people think that Russia could face US in any war. They could try militarily but conventionally they are no where to be found.Russia,China sending there was ships to the Mediterranean sea to stop US is just a joke and if US were to attack Syria if they had refused to hand over there chemical weapons,they would do so successfully.Do you think US feels threatened by Russia telling them not to strike Syria?Abeg guy park well if you can't reason beyond the reach of your nose jorr[/b]