Pawlenty urges recall of envoy to Syria; Obama policy 'crock'

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) called on President Obama to recall the U.S.'s ambassador to Syria while criticizing his handling of the unrest there.

Pawlenty, who is expected to run against Obama, said the president's decision to restore America's ambassador last year legitimized the regime of dictator Bashar Assad, which has used violence to tamp down anti-government protests there.

"I would recall our ambassador," Pawlenty said on the conservative Hugh Hewitt Show. "President Obama made the mistake of sending an ambassador to Syria, legitimizing that country and his regime in ways that I don’t think are appropriate. Recall the ambassador."

President George W. Bush recalled the U.S. ambassador in Syria in Feb. 2005 amid accusations the country was involved in the assassination of Lebanese President Rafik Hariri. Obama filled the vacancy in December in an effort to improve relations with the country and incorporate it in the Israeli-Arab peace process. Pawlenty said that approach is flawed. 

"It’s a crock. It’s a complete crock. And it shows the naivete of the Obama administration," he said. "To have his administration essentially being embracing in any manner or degree Bashar Assad and Syria as a peace agent – or an agent for reform and stability in the region – is either ignorant or frighteningly misguided."

Pawlenty's criticism of Obama came ahead of the president's speech to the nation on the U.S.'s military intervention in Libya, in which he explained that military action there would not necessarily mean he would send forces to other Arab nations experiencing violent unrest, such as Syria, Bahrain and Yemen.

"It is true that America cannot use our military wherever repression occurs," Obama said. "And given the costs and risks of intervention, we must always measure our interests against the need for action."

Before that, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton already asserted that the U.S. is not planning to get involved the turmoil in Syria. Obama and top U.S. officials have all strongly condemned the use of violence by the Syrian government to put down protests.

Pawlenty — who announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee last week — did not call for direct military intervention, but called on Obama to communicate a stronger message on Syria and ramp up sanctions. Even though Pawlenty recently pressured Obama to act quicker on Libya, he argued that the U.S. has a stronger strategic interest in Syria.

"Our interests, by the way, in Syria, are at least as strong – if not stronger – than in Libya," he said. "Here you have a country enabled and accommodated people to go into Iraq and kill American soldiers. They house Hamas and allow them to exist in Syria as they continue to be a terrorist organization in Israel and elsewhere. And the list goes on and on about the problems that the Syria, and specifically Bashar Assad, has caused the region and the world and also the United States of America."

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