It was at this time a year ago that freshman U.S. Senator Marco Rubio started stepping out and getting his voice heard on foreign policy, sharply questioning U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice on the need for the U.S. to intervene in stopping the Qaddafi regime in Libya. Rubio joined fellow Republican hawks like John McCain and Lindsey Graham in charging that it was a moral imperative to stop the killing.
Shortly after the Arab League called on the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya in a bid to protect civilians from air attack, the U.S. agreed to become part of a NATO force to attack Qaddafi's forces. "Leading from behind" became the somewhat mocked phrase that led to the ousting of Qaddafi several months later. NATO declared victory and moved on.
A year later, there is inarguably more of a bloodbath going on in Syria, leading some hawks to blast President Obama for not doing more to stop Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Earlier this week Senator McCain became the first member of Congress to call for the U.S. to intervene now.
"Providing military assistance to the Free Syrian Army and other opposition groups is necessary, but at this late hour, that alone will not be sufficient to stop the slaughter and save innocent lives," McCain said. "The only realistic way to do so is with foreign air power."
McCain's rhetoric was quite similar to his Libya speeches a year ago. But at this point in time, he does not have Senator Rubio's backing.
