Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Tuesday night reiterated his opposition to the use of military force in Syria, but said that Bashar al-Assad deserves to die if his regime was responsible for a chemical weapons attack that reportedly killed more than 1,000 of his own people last month.
During an appearance on Fox News Channel, Paul said that President Barack Obama’s nationally televised address to the nation was unpersuasive.
“It didn’t quite convince me,” Paul said. “I think what he needed to lay out for the American public was a compelling American interest or national security interest in Syria.”
The Kentucky Republican acknowledged the gravity of chemical weapons and said that Assad deserves the ultimate punishment if he was responsible for the attack that reportedly took place on Aug. 21.
“It is a violation of every norm for someone to kill civilians,” Paul said. “I think Assad should be accountable. I think if Assad’s responsible, he deserves death for this. To kill civilian (sic) and women and children is without excuse, there is no justification for it.”
But Paul, one of the most vocal opponents of military action in Syria, said that the administration’s call for limited airstrikes would do little to degrade Assad.
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