Paul: Syria 'objective is stalemate'

Sen. Rand Paul on Friday said he thinks the Obama administration’s only objective in Syria is “stalemate” and he does not support “sending my son, your son or anyone else’s son to fight if your goal or objective is stalemate.”

“I think we have no strategic objective and I don’t think it’ll change the course of the war,” the Kentucky Republican told Fox News. “In fact, one of the things that troubles me is that we’ve already announced in advance well, it’s not going to be too much of an attack, it’s not going to last too long and we’re not for regime change.”


( PHOTOS: Scenes from Syria)

“And I’ve told them, frankly, I’m not sending my son, your son or anyone else’s son to fight if your goal or objective is stalemate,” Paul said. “That’s not what Americans are about.”

Paul also appeared on Fox News on Thursday night and said he “can’t see fighting to impose Sharia law in Syria.”

“I also can’t see sending my son to fight with Islamic rebels against Christians,” Paul said on “Hannity.” “I also can’t see my son going to fight on the same side as Al Qaeda. There’s so many ironies and unfortunate muddling nature to this that I can’t see why we should get involved, and there are potential repercussions.”

( Also on POLITICO: Media skepticism on Syria)

Taking military action “sounds to me like saving face” for Obama, Paul said Friday.

“It sounds to me like saving face because he’s made a promise so he’s going to follow through with his promise,” he said on “Fox & Friends.” “That’s why you ought to be very careful of drawing lines in the sand or red lines because now he feels that he looks weak to both his colleagues in the United States as well as his international colleagues. But I don’t think that’s enough reason to go to war.”

The senator, who has been an outspoken advocate against military action in Syria, added that the Constitution is “very explicit on this.”

“When you go to war, Congress must authorize this,” Paul said. “Both the president and the vice president, once upon a time, before they became in power, understood this.”