A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee says Syrian strongman Bashar Assad must go.
Last week, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the collapse of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime is "only a matter of time."
NATO 's top official confirmed reports that NATO had detected Syrian forces launching short-range missiles at opposition forces within Syria, saying this illustrated the "utter disregard" for the lives of the Syrian people.
Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi serves on the Senate Armed Services committee. He explains why it is so important that Assad be removed from leadership.
"On balance, Bashar Assad, the dictator of Syria, must go," he declares. "At this point, it's sort of like getting rid of Hitler. He's got to go. He's killing his own people. He's on the verge of really pulling the trigger on some nasty, nasty stuff."
And Wicker says it would be a clear blow to the Iranian regime if Assad goes.
"Iran wants Assad there. He's a client of theirs. He's an agent of theirs," he observes. "He allows all sorts of illegal and dangerous activities to go on through his country and to be transported through his country."
Wicker says he understands the concerns of some who believe the rebels who take over might be tied to al-Qaida or the Muslim Brotherhood.
"I think what I'm hearing from the international community is that we've settled on a rebel group that the civilized world feels we could work with," he tells OneNewsNow.
The Republican lawmaker says while there is always a danger in what kind of government might take over, the status quo is no longer acceptable in Syria.