Sanders Backs Obama ‘Moderate Syrian Army’ Strategy, Contra Hillary

Over the weekend, Democratic nominee for President Bernie Sanders rejected the idea of a U.S.-secured no-fly zone in Syria, opposing the proposal laid out by fellow contender Hillary Clinton when it comes to mid-east policy.

“I oppose, at this point, a unilateral American no-fly zone in Syria which could get us more deeply involved in that horrible civil war and lead to a never-ending U.S. entanglement in that region,” Sanders said. “We do not want to make a very complex situation in Syria even worse.”

The Socialist Senator from Vermont explained that he supports President Obama’s regional strategy and rejects Clinton’s more interventionist stance.

“I support President Obama’s efforts to combat the Islamic State in Syria while at the same time supporting those in Syria trying to overthrow the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad,” he said.

The office of Senator Sanders did not respond by press time to a request by Breitbart News to elaborate on who “those in Syria trying to overthrow” Assad specifically are.

His Saturday remarks came just one day after Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton insisted upon a no-fly zone in Syria.

“I personally would be advocating for a no-fly zone and humanitarian corridors to stop the carnage from the ground and on the air,” Clinton said.

In calling for a no-fly zone as part of the Syria strategy, Clinton is joined by GOP nominees Jeb Bush and John Kasich.

President Obama appeared to reject the proposal Friday, when he warned against “easy, low-cost answers” to ending the conflict in Syria, CNN reports.

“I think Hillary Clinton would be the first to say that when you’re sitting in the seat that I’m sitting in in the situation room, things look a bit different. Because she’s been right there next to me,” Obama said. “I also think there’s a difference between running for president and being president,” he added.

Meanwhile, the gap between Clinton and Sanders continues to narrow. Polling averages show that since July, Clinton has lost over 20 percentage points in the race for the Democratic nomination. Polls also continue to show that Sanders is gaining popularity among the Democratic base despite Vice President Joe Biden emerging as a popular contender.