I RESPOND TO SAMANTHA POWER'S SPEECH AT CAP

Here statements are in italics, my replies are in normal font.

It is important because the Syrian regime possesses stores of chemical weapons that they have recently used on a large scale and that we cannot allow to fall into terrorists’ hands.

The best way to do that is to help Assad.

But let me take a minute to discuss the uniquely monstrous crime that has brought us to this crossroads. What comes to mind for me is one father in al-Ghouta saying goodbye to his two young daughters. His girls had not yet been shrouded, they were still dressed in the pink shorts and leggings of little girls. The father lifted their lifeless bodies, cradled them, and cried out “Wake up...What would I do without you?... How do I stand this pain?” As a parent, I cannot begin to answer his questions. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to feel such searing agony.


It's not uniquely monstrous and its a cheap trick to play on our emotions.

If there are no consequences now for breaking the prohibition on chemical weapons, it will be harder to muster an international consensus to ensure that Hizballah and other terrorist groups are prevented from acquiring or using these weapons themselves.

Despite Hizbollah's strong ties to the Assad regime, it has never acquired chemical weapons.

And Israel’s security is threatened by instability in the region and its security is enhanced when those who would do it harm know that the United States stands behind its word. That’s why we’ve seen Israel’s supporters in the United States come out in support of the President’s proposed course of action.

Israel already has more than  enough weapons to deter a chemical attack.

In short, the Security Council the world needs to deal with this urgent crisis is not the Security Council we have.

This has been true since the creation of the Security Council.