Obama won't use military strike to oust Assad [View all]

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Obama won't use military strike to oust Assad

Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — As President Obama weighs with his national security team how he will respond to Syria's suspected use of chemical weapons, his chief spokesman said Tuesday that the actions Obama is contemplating won't lead to the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The White House continued to publicly maintain Tuesday that Obama has made no decision on the nature of his response to the Assad regime, even as lawmakers and government officials warned that a limited military strike against Syria is imminent.

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"I want to make clear that the options that we are considering are not about regime change," Carney said while reiterating that Obama continues to believe the 2½-year conflict must end with Assad out of power. "They are about responding to a clear violation of international standard that prohibits the use of chemical weapons."

Pressed by reporters on why Obama has ruled out using U.S. action to topple Assad, Carney responded, "It is not our policy position to respond to this through regime change. We will take an appropriate response, and the president and his team are evaluating the options to them. And the president will make an assessment and an announcement in due time."

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/27/obama-wont-topple-assad-with-strike/2709717/