On September 10, 2013 Congressman Tom McClintock of California was granted permission to address the United States House of Representative regarding the situation in Syria.
“Madam Speaker, Russia’s diplomatic intervention in the Syrian crisis is indeed welcome news. But whether it is real or illusory, the President needs to step back from the dangerous precipice that he has brought us to. Certainly, he’s made his case for war with Syria very clearly, that the United States must punish the use of chemical weapons, and if we don’t, they’re more likely to be used again. He assures us that the strike will be limited and that it will aid moderates fighting the regime. He warns that American credibility is at stake. The case is quite clear: it is simply not convincing.”
“It’s possible that an attack on Syria will convince Assad not to use chemical weapons in the future. But it is just as likely to convince him that, being in for a penny, he might as well be in for a pound and unleash his entire chemical arsenal. It is just as likely that an American strike on Syria will produce a retaliatory strike, possibly by Hezbollah against Israel, requiring a retaliatory strike by Israel, possibly on Iran, in a catastrophic chain reaction.”, he said adding. “We don’t know where it will lead, but we can be sure that the morning after the attack we would confront a most uncomfortable irony. In retaliation for Assad killing Syrian civilians with chemical weapons, the United States will have killed Syrian civilians with conventional weapons, for civilian casualties are an unavoidable tragedy of war.” (Source: Congressional Record September 10, 2013).
Tom McClintock is the Chairman of the Water and Power Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee, and is a member of the Budget Committee and the Natural Resources Committee.
The congressman is also a member of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands and the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaskan Native Affairs.