Sean Duffy: Obama Shouldn’t ‘Be Playing’ In The Middle East

U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.) says President Barack Obama shouldn’t “be playing” in the Middle East, and he opposes a military strike against Syria.

Duffy says he would listen to Obama’s arguments for a strike, which the president says is needed to punish Syria for using chemical weapons against civilians last month. U.S. investigators say more than 1,400 people were killed. But Duffy says no good can come of a military strike.

“For every action we take in the Middle East especially, there is a reaction,” says Duffy. “We don’t know what it’s going to be.”

Even so, Duffy admits it’s hard to ignore a chemical weapons attack.

“There’s a pretty consistent global theme that we don’t want to have chemical weapons used on civilian populations or on any populations,” says Duffy. “But then I’d say ‘Well, where are the Russians? Where are the Chinese? Where’s Europe?’”

He says the new Republican block in the House is united, even if members of the old guard like John McCain and John Boehner support Obama’s plan.

“There’s a little different philosophy in this newest set of Republicans that were part of the class of 2010 and 2012 that are saying ‘Listen. [Going to war] is not the only answer’.”

Obama has ruled out using troops in an attack. Duffy says although he opposes Obama’s plan, he says House Republicans do not have an alternative strategy now.