Wednesdays attack happened. We know that the regime was specifically determined to rid the damascus suburbs of the opposition. And it was frustrated that it hasnt succeeded in doing so. We know that for three days before the attack the Syrian Regimes chemical weapons personnel were on the ground. Making preparations. And the Syrian Regime elements. And putting on gas masks and taking precautions associated with chemical weapons. And we know where the rockets were launched from and at what time. We know where they landed and when. We know rockets came only from regime controlled areas and went only to opposition controlled or contested neighborhoods, and we know, as does the world, that just 90 minutes later all hell broke loose in the social media with our own eyes, we have seen thousands of reports from 11 separate sites in that damascus suburbs, all of them show and report victims with reading difficulties, people twitching with spasms, coughing, rapid heartbeats, frothing at the mouth, unconsciousness and death, and we know it was ordinary syrians citizens who reported all of these orders and just as important, we know what the doctors and nurses who treated them didnt report. Not a scratch, not a shrapnel wound, not a cut, not a gunshot wound. Rose of dead line up in burial shrouds, the white linen, and stained by a signal drop of blood. Instead of being tucked safely in their beds at home we saw rows of children lying sidebyside scrawled on a hospital floor, all of them dead from assads gas and surrounded by parents and grandparents who had suffered the same fate. The United States government now knows that at least 1,429 syrians were killed in this attack including at least 426 children. Even the first responders, the doctors, nurses and medics who tried to save them, they became victims themselves. We saw them gasping for air, terrified that their own lives were in danger. This is the indiscriminate, inconceivable horror of chemical weapons. This is what assad did to his own people. We also know that many disturbing details about the aftermath. We know that a senior regime official who knew about the attack confirmed chemical weapons were used by the regime, reviewed the impact and actually was afraid that they would be discovered. We know this. And we know what they did next. I personally called the foreign minister of syria and i said to him if as you say your nation has nothing to hide, then let the United Nations in immediately and give the inspectors the unfettered access so that they have the opportunity to tell your story. Instead for four days, they shelled the neighborhood in order to destroy evidence, and bombarding block after block at a rate four times higher than they had over the previous ten days and when the un inspectors finally gained access, that access, as we now know was restricted and controlled. In all of these things that i have listed, in all of these things that we know, all of them, the American Intelligence Community has high confidence, high confidence this is common sense. This is evidence. These are facts. So the primary question is really no longer what do we know, the question is what are we in the world going to do about it. As previous storms in history have gathered with unspeakable crimes within our power to stop them, were in more about temptations of looking the other way. History is full of leaders who were warned against inaction or difference and especially against silence when it mattered most. Our choices than in history had great consequences and our choice today has great consequences. It matters that hundred years ago in direct response to the other quarter and inhumanity of world war i that the civilized world agreed chemical weapons should never be used again. That was the worlds resolve than and that began nearly a century of effort to create a clear red line for the International Community. It matters today that we rid the world of the worst weapons, that is why we signed agreements like the new start treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention which more than 180 countries including iran, iraq and lebanon have signed on to. It matters to our security and the security of our allies, it matters to israel, it matters to our Close Friends jordan, turkey and lebanon call all of whom live the stiff breeze away from damascus. It matters to all of them where the Syrian Chemical Weapons are and if unchecked, they can cause even greater destruction to those friends and it matters deeply to the credibility and future interests of the United States of america and our allies. It matters because a lot of other countries whose policies challenge these International Norms are watching. Fate are watching. They want to see whether the United States and our friends mean what we saw a. It is directly related to our credibility and whether country still believe the United States when it says something. They are watching to see if syria can get away with it because then maybe they too can put the world at greater risk. Make no mistake. In an increasingly complicated world of sectarian and religious extremist violence, what we choose to do or not do matters in real ways to our own security. Some cite the risk of doing things but we need to ask what is the risk of doing nothing . It matters because if we choose to live in a world where a thug and a murderer like the shark assad can gas thousands of his people with impunity even after the United States and our allies said no and then the world does nothing about it there will be no end to the test of hours of the dangers that will flow from those others who believe that they can do as they will. This matter is also beyond the limits of syrias borders. It is about whether iran, which itself has been a victim of couple weapons attacks chemical weapons attacks will be emboldened in action to obtain nuclear weapons. It is about hezbollah and north korea and every other terrorist group or dictator that might ever again contemplate the use of weapons of mass destruction. Will that remember that the assad regime was stopped, 4 current or future use or will they remember that the worlds the side and created impunity . Our concern is not just some far off land oceans away. It is not what this is about. Our concern is the cause of the defenseless people of syria about choices that will directly affect our role in the world and our interests in the world. It is also profoundly about who we are. We are the United States of america. We are the country that has tried to, not always successfully, but always tried to honor a set of universal values around which we have organized our lives and our aspirations. This crime against conscience, this crime against humanity, this crime against the most fundamental principles of International Community, against the norm of the International Community, this matters to us and it matters to who we are and it matters to leadership and to our credibility in the world. My friends, it matters if nothing is done. It matters if the world speaks out in condemnation and then nothing happens. America should feel confident and gratified that we are not alone in our condemnation and not alone in our will to do something about it and to act. The world is speaking out and many friends stand ready to respond. The arab league pledged, quote, to holds the Syrian Regime fully responsible for this crime. The organization for islamic cooperation condemned the regime and said we needed, quote, to holds the Syrian Government legally and morally accountable for this heinous crime. Turkey said there is no doubt that the regime is responsible. Our oldest ally, the french, said the regime, quote, committed this vile action and it is an outrage to use weapons the community has banned for the last 90 years in all international conventions. The australian Prime Minister said he didnt want history to record the we were, quote, a party to turning such a blind eye. So now the we know what we know the question we must all be asking is what will we do . Let me emphasize, president obama, we in the United States, we believe in the United Nations and we have Great Respect for the brave inspectors who in toward regime, gunfire and obstructions to their investigation, but as the secretary general has said again and again, the u. N. Investigation will not affirm who use these chemical weapons. That is not the mandate of the u. N. Investigation. They will only of term whether such weapons were used. By the definition of their own mandate, the un cant tell us anything that we havent shared with you this afternoon or that we dont already know. And because of the guaranteed russian obstructionism of any action through the urine the Un Security Council the un cannot galvanize the world to act as it should. So let me be clear, we will continue talking to the congress, talking to our allies and most importantly talking to the American People. President obama will ensure that the United States of america makes our own decisions on our own time line is based on our values and our interests. We know that after a decade of conflict the American People are tired of war. Believe me, i am too. But fatigue does not absolve us of our responsibility. Just longing for peace does not necessarily bring it about and history will judge us all extraordinarily harshly if we turned a blind eye to dictators wanting use of weapons of mass destruction against all warnings, against all common understanding of decency, these things we do know. We also know that we have a president who does what he says he will do. And he has said very clearly that whatever decision he makes in syria it will bear no resemblance to afghanistan, iraq or even libya. It will not involved any boots on the ground, it will not be open ended at anthem will not assume responsibility for civil war that is already well underway. The president has been clear, any actions that he might decide to take will be limited in tailored response to ensure that a desperates brutal and flagrant use of chemical weapons is held accountable and alternately, ultimately, we are committed, we remain committed, we believe it is the primary objective to have a diplomatic process that can resolve this through negotiation. Because we know there is no ultimate military solution. It has to be political. It has to happen at the negotiating table and we are deeply committed to getting there. That is what we know. That is what the leaders of congress now know and that is what the American People need to know. And that is at the core of the decisions that must now be made for the security of our country and the promise of a planet where the worlds most heinous weapons must never again be used against the worlds most vulnerable people. Thank you. Cheryl secretary of state john kerry making what seems to be a very strong case for engage in syria. And the Syrian Governments use of chemical weapons and of course according to this report is assads regime using chemical weapons against his own people, 1,049 people including 426 children and that damascus suburb. According to secretary of state they were doing all kinds of research, thousands of reports, videos, social media, u. N. Reports the largest chemical weapons in it lease held by syria. The regime was so frustrated by the opposition in that damascus suburbs that they went ahead and used chemical weapons and was not the first time assad used chemical weapons, it sounded like a strong case that launching missiles in syria, a short of snow boots on the ground. And we now have to listen for the president s instructions from here. As for the Market Reaction we did see selling during the secretary of states commentary. The dow is coming back strong, only down 14 points. Light of the speech it was off 70 points so were covering the markets we looking at the oil barrel, that is of utmost concern. Always concern of delays and disruption especially when you put egypt into the scenario as well so we are following all the Market Reaction, crude oil reversed course down 1. 23 a barrel, and dennis before we check markets one last time we want to go to the white house, rich edson standing by. That is that four page government assessment of the Syrian Governments use of chemical weapons, the first line says the government assesses with high confidence the Syrian Government carried out a chemical weapons attack in the damascus suburbs on august 21st but at this point the case is made, it would seem, by john kerry, without any dates as to when we may act. Rich not much other than a high tease for actio of certainty when it comes to the intelligence they released today but the only specifically again, no boot on the ground, tailored response and whatever decision the president is making he will make on his own time line. John kerry saying we need to ask what are the risks of doing nothing . You see this in a Historic Context of one of action but questions as to whether or not or when theyre going to act, that is still all out on the table right now but when you look at that Intelligence Report john kerry saying it was carefully reviewed and has done so, the intelligence committee, with the iraq experience ever mindful. The administration calling them preliminary findings that have a high level of confidence on this intelligence and using that to make their case. I am not asking you to take my word for it. Read for yourself, everyone, those listening, all of you, read for yourselves the evidence from thousands of sources, evidence that is already publicly available. And read for yourself the verdict reached by our Intelligence Community about the chemical weapons attack, the assad regime inflicted on the opposition. Rich the United States cleaning the assad regime has largest chemical weapons stored in the middle east and used it multiple times on people, days before the attack on the suburbs the Administration Says assad had chemical weapons, team members with gas masks on and that the rockets containing those weapons came from areas controlled by the assad regime and will launch into areas where they did not control. That, they say is the conclusion they reached, the evidence they say leads them to believe that it was in fact the assad regime launching this against their own people and the administration will act. The question is when and how. We dont know that yet. Dennis the reason the secretary went to Great Lengths to say it the un tests would not say who launched the attack, only that chemical weapons were used . Rich when you have a report from the un and we expect the u. N. Inspectors to pull out this weekend, when it comes to a conclusion only evidence of lets say it does say we do no chemical weapons were used but doesnt assign blame to anyone opponents of moving into syria would say is they are not assigning blame and there is this dynamic on the u. N. Security council, a familiar dynamic that its russia against the rest of the members of the Security Council. That would block any movement against syria as russias staunch supporter of the assad regime. Lori secretary of state john kerry make a case for engage in serious but saying the u. S. Will make our own decisions on our own time line. The president has very little choice but to act at this point. His credibility is on the line. Michael l. Hamlin with the brookings institute, thank you for joining us. I will send it over to you for your impressions, secretary of state and how does a dance is our situation with syria. Excellent and emphatic speech and it left extremely little doubt that the United States will take military action and i would also add to your correspondence, very good report the one more reason for downplaying the u. N. Is we dont want to wait for their report. And they are still in syria and props coming out in the next few hours and i would expect the administration would wait for them to leave before striking. I dont expect the administration to delay much longer, there will be strikes in the course of the weekend. Mr obama traveling overseas on tuesday, headed for russia. And and he left no room for the president. He said shea and on those who would be indifferent in the face of this atrocity. Having said that kind of statement, i dont see any plausible case the administration will fail to act militarily. Cheryl what is the risk of doing nothing . We have to ask these choices that affect our role in the world. Obviously in flint is voting down getting involved in syria, france, who knows, earlier this week the rest of the world, coalition of the women was much larger than it seems to be today. What is the likelihood we engage syria on our own . Pretty high. If it is not on our own it will still feel like a small coalition. E talkative in many ways of the 2003 Iraq Coalition much more than the Afghanistan Coalition or the Kosovo Coalition from 1999 because at least in that case u. N. Approval was lacking that nato was unified. In this case as you indicated nato is not unified. The arab league is interested in Holding Assad accountable but not authorizing military strikes and it really is the u. S. And one or two other countries in the actual operation. Hopefully a lot of countries responding well to john kerrys very good speech which i think w