GOP Congressman and Marine Corps Vet Pulls Support for Syria Strike: 'The President's Leadership Has Degraded

Rep. Michael Grimm said he has withdrawn his support for military action in Syria because he has lost faith in President Barack Obama's ability to lead.

AP

Grimm (R-N.Y.) first said he supported taking action against President Bashar Assad's regime, but announced Thursday he had changed his mind.

"What's changed the most is the president's leadership has degraded," Grimm said Friday on Fox News.

Grimm, a Marine Corps veteran, said he first backed the president because he wanted to support the commander in chief.

"It seems like he has done just about everything he can to bungle this and I really have lost faith in his ability as the commander in chief to handle this crisis in Syria," Grimm said.

Grimm said he thinks Obama has no resolve for any meaningful strike that would send a message to Syria and other U.S. enemies including Iran, and that the window to restore U.S. credibility has already closed.

"There is no easy answer here, I admit that this is a very, very difficult situation but I think the president has made it more difficult than it needs to be and I think he's put us in a very difficult situation and now he's passing the buck to the Congress and I don't think the Congress or the American people think it's the right time to strike Syria," Grimm said.

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