On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) responded to a question on whether President Joe Biden’s Middle East strategy has failed in light of further aggression against American and coalition forces since U.S. airstrikes on Friday by stating that “the President’s doing the right thing. I think it’ll have some immediate deterrent effect in the short term, probably much more significant in the long run.”
Host Wolf Blitzer asked, “I want to turn, quickly, to the coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria that have been ongoing these last few days. President Biden says the strikes are working to deter militias, but U.S. and coalition forces have come under attack three more times since Friday. Has the President’s strategy been a failure, at least so far?”
Murphy answered, “I think you are sending a short-term and long-term message to these proxy forces. It also is likely going to take some time to degrade their capabilities. But, of course, there needs to be a response when these attacks are taken against us, especially when there is a loss of life. So, this is a really perilous moment for the United States in the region. I think, in the long run, it will probably prompt a conversation in Congress about why we have so many unprotected forces in the region. This has been a long-term concern of mine that I have vocalized to the administration and to my colleagues. But the President’s doing the right thing. I think it’ll have some immediate deterrent effect in the short term, probably much more significant in the long run.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett