President Barack Obama renewed his call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down Tuesday, although he warned that a rush to judgment on developments in the war-torn country could jeopardize support from the international community.
In a press conference at the White House, Obama argued that the only way to bring stability and peace to Syria is for Assad to step down and to move forward on a political transition.
"In pursuit of that strategy we've organized the international community" Obama said. "We are the largest humanitarian donor. We have worked to strengthen the opposition. We have provided nonlethal assistance to the opposition. We have applied sanctions on Syria."
He added, "So there are a whole host of steps that we've been taking precisely because, even separate from the chemical weapons issue, what's happening in Syria is a blemish on the international community generally, and we've got to make sure that we're doing everything we can to protect the Syrian people."
Obama said that context makes the use of chemical weapons a "game-changer" not simply for the U.S. but for the international community as a whole.
The president went on to say that there is evidence that chemical weapons have been used inside of Syria but noted that the facts about when they were used and who used them remain unknown.
Obama argued that he needs to have all the facts when making decisions about America's national security and the potential for taking additional action.
"If we end up rushing to judgment without hard, effective evidence, then we can find ourselves in a position where we can't mobilize the international community to support what we do," Obama said.
He added, "There may be objections even among some people in the region who are sympathetic with the opposition if we take action. So it's important for us to do this in a prudent way."
At the same time, Obama noted that the U.S. is already deeply engaged in trying to bring about a solution in Syria, where he said thousands of innocent civilians have already been killed by a regime more concerned about staying in power than about the well-being of its people.
Obama's remarks come the same day as the release of a New York Times/CBS News poll showing that Americans oppose U.S. intervention in Syria.
The poll found that 62 percent of Americans think the U.S. does not have a responsibility to do something about the fighting in Syria compared to 24 percent that think the U.S. does have a responsibility.
In a wide-ranging press conference, Obama also renewed his call for closing the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay amid a growing hunger strike.
The president also discussed the response to the Boston Marathon bombings, rolling back budget cuts at the FAA, and a professional basketball player's recent decision to come out as gay.
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