President Obama’s Congressional critics expressed guarded optimism about an agreement reached with Russia over the weekend to seize and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons, even as Obama hailed the diplomatic effort as a “foundation”.
“It’s hard for anybody to pooh-pooh the idea that we may be on the way to a diplomatic solution,” said the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Another Republican, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said the United States now had the opportunity to “parlay” the negotiations over chemical weapons into broader talks. Johnson said “I hope it works out. I truly do. This process has not been particularly stylish. It hasn’t been pretty. Unfortunately, President Obama’s credibility hasn’t been strengthened.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/world/middleeast/syria-chemical-weapons-deal.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0
