'Obama could still call for Assad's removal...'

Via FLC

"... In Washington, administration officials vowed tougher measures but stopped short of announcing any new ones, underscoring how difficult a diplomatic and political challenge the crackdown in Syria has become for Mr. Obama.
The administration plans to expand on sanctions first imposed in May, officials said, but the legal process for doing that has lagged behind Syria’s accelerating violence ...
The American ambassador to Syria, Robert S. Ford, testifying before the Senate on Tuesday, said sanctions against senior Syrian officials were beginning to bite. He also disclosed that the administration was discussing additional sanctions with the Europeans that would have a more direct effect, since those imposed by the United States already severely limit American trade with Syria. Underscoring the administration’s clear but not explicitly stated goal of a new government in Syria, Mr. Ford said it was important that any punitive sanctions be calibrated in such a way as to not devastate the economy in a “post-Assad” era...
While Mr. Obama explicitly called for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s ouster, even an American-supported air war backing Libyan rebels has so far failed to bring about his removal. Administration officials say that the United States has even fewer levers in the case of Syria, given that a military option has been all but ruled out and Syria still has support from Arab League members and other countries....
Mr. Obama’s aides have defended what they call the administration’s measured approach, saying it was important for the United States to build consensus. On Sunday, Mr. Obama condemned President Assad, saying “his use of torture, corruption and terror puts him on the wrong side of history.” The president could still explicitly call for Mr. Assad’s removal as part of a deliberate escalation of American efforts ..."

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