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Axelrod: Syria's Been a Thorn in Obama Administration's Side From the Beginning

October 1, 2015

Former White House senior adviser David Axelrod admitted that the Syrian disaster has been a "thorn in the side of the administration from the beginning" during a CNN interview Thursday.

Sen. John McCain (R. Ariz.), a frequent critic of President Obama's foreign policy, slammed him again Wednesday for "leading from behind," "red lines crossed" and "hollow words" after news that Russian jets carried out airstrikes to bolster Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. New Day host Chris Cuomo asked Axelrod whether that was a fair assessment.

"Look, I think the Syrian problem has been a thorn in the side of the administration from the beginning, and there's a big debate about the steps that have been taken along the way, including the decision not to go forward when the red line was drawn," he said. "But the question, as always, [is] 'What would you have done?'"

He concluded that the latest aggression by Russia would "foment another political debate" but attacked Obama's political foes for not having an alternative. Many critics, however, have pointed to the failure of Obama to make good on the "red line" he drew and Assad crossed when the latter used chemical weapons against his own people in 2013. Axelrod himself acknowledged in the above remarks that Obama's lack of action at that time sparked "a big debate" for the administration.

The Russians have claimed their strikes in Syria were to attack Islamic State militants, but it became obvious to the U.S. and other powers that Russia targeted anti-Assad forces in yet another blow to U.S.-Russian relations. The Obama administration has maintained for years that "Assad must go."

Obama and Russian president Vladimir Putin gave speeches at the United Nations General Assembly this week showing their conflicting views on the best path forward in Syria. Putin's military build-up in Syria and its latest action there has caught Obama by "surprise," news outlets reported, which is hardly the first time the administration has found itself scrambling.