FOXNews.com: Lawmakers Call for Syria No-Fly Zone

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Lawmakers Call for Syria No-Fly Zone Jun 16th 2013, 19:00 Will US intervention help in Syria? What will aiding Syria mean for the US and Russia? Why did Obama wait so long to get involved in Syria? Capitol Hill lawmakers pressed President Obama on Sunday to go beyond supplying Syrian rebels with small arms and to consider imposing a no-fly zone over the war-torn country. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said supplying rebels with automatic weapons and ammunition is not enough to stop the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. "We need to create a no-fly zone," Graham told NBC's "Meet the Press." "We cannot take air power out of the equation." President Obama decided Thursday to arm rebels trying to overthrow Assad, after saying he had enough conclusive evidence that the Syrian strongman had crossed a "red line" by using chemical weapons on people in the 2-year-long civil war in which 93,000 people have been killed. Graham and others think Assad's superior air power – in addition to support from Russia and the terror group Hezbollah -- has recently helped tip the balance of power in his favor and question whether Obama's decision last week might be too little, too late. Graham was joined on the show by Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss who said the United States' position must be based essentially on daily evaluations of the military situation in Syria. "A no-fly zone may be the ultimate tactic that needs to be taken," said Chambliss, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Colorado Democratic Sen. Mark Udall took a more measured approach, saying he is considering a range of U.S. responses including a no-fly zone. "I'm open to all options," he told NBC. However, Udall suggested that a no-fly zone and other escalations may lead to a "slippery slope" of getting the U.S. deeply involved in a complex, costly and deadly war. Graham also argued the ultimate goal in Syria is to achieve a political settlement, as fighting and unrest spills into such neighboring countries as Turkey and Lebanon. "It's a powder keg," said Graham, who with Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain is among the strongest Capitol Hill voices calling for a bigger U.S. role in Syria. But such an agreement with Assad cannot be achieved as long has he continues to win on the battlefield, he said.

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