White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that historians may "end up quibbling" about President Obama's policy in Syria after a reporter confronted him with a scathing criticism from Syrian opposition leader Riad Hijab, who said that "history will never forgive Obama for what he has done to the Syrian people."
Hijab–head of the High Negotiations Committee, an umbrella group that represents several moderate opposition groups and other rebel forces opposing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad–told the Wall Street Journal that Obama's Syria policy has been a failure.
"History will never forgive Obama for what he has done to the Syrian people. All this tragic suffering, hundreds of thousands of martyrs, millions forced to leave their homes ... We see it all as a result of the hesitation of the American administration, and in part as a result of its desire to appease Iran," said Mr. Hijab, who served as Syrian prime minister before defecting to the revolutionaries in 2012.
"Obama raised the expectations of the Syrian people," he said. "But unfortunately he then abandoned the Syrian people and gave Bashar the green light."
CBS foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan asked Earnest to respond to this quote during the White House daily press briefing.
"Given the tragedy that has befallen his country, it's not surprising to me that he's using some rather pointed rhetoric to make his argument," Earnest said.
Earnest then explained that Obama has one "overriding responsibility:" to protect the interests and safety of the American people.
"And that's what President Obama has prioritized over everything else," he said.
Brennan followed up for a reaction to a specific part of Hijab's criticism.
"But to his point on history not forgiving the president," she said. "Is the president certain that history will see his side of things and his view of this?"
Earnest first responded that most historians disagree about certain parts of history.
"Well, listen, I think if we know anything about history, it's that historians tend to disagree about history," Earnest said. "I think this may be an area where historians do end up quibbling just a little."
Earnest then paused for a moment before continuing.
"But, again, I think the one thing historians on both sides will acknowledge is the military solution that many people seem to wish for, including people with the best of intentions, simply does not exist," he said.