This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Monday, September 9th, 2013. I'm Caleb Brown.

Even though the President and Secretary of State have made repeated loud claims that Bashar Assad used chemical weapons

against Syrians.

The people of the United States still aren't ready for another war.

Chris Preble, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute

offers his thoughts. I think the reason that these punches aren't landing that

John Kerry and President Obama are making with respect to this possible use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime is they view

that if it is absolutely proved to be true as the end result and then we leap immediately to action.

And it seems like everybody else, mostly on the other side of the debate is saying no, no, no,

that's just the start of a different debate. That's not the end of the debate is saying no no no that's just the start of a different debate

that's not the end of the debate right now I think that's right I think that's right I think

that for the administration the the use of chemical weapons is the critical factor and proving the use of chemical

weapons you know to a sufficient degree is is the whole point of their

presentation and that's what Dennis McDonough was doing yesterday on the

Sunday morning shows and that's what Secretary Kerry was doing last week.

But if you look at the polling data, the polling data asked the American people, do you believe that Bashar Assad used chemical

weapons?

And the vast majority of Americans believe that he did use chemical weapons.

And they still are opposed to military intervention.

I think the reason why is twofold.

Number one, there is a sense that U.S. intervention will not,

it certainly won't bring back to life the people killed by chemical weapons. It won't bring back to life the people killed by chemical weapons it won't bring back to life the hundred thousand killed by conventional munitions

...