Hultgren says U.S. should intervene in Syria

Though he did not go as far as his Republican colleague in the Senate, congressman Randy Hultgren said Tuesday he supports some form of U.S. intervention in Syria.

Hultgren, the Republican representative in the 14th District, made his comments during an interview following a meeting of the Geneva and St. Charles chambers of commerce. He said the time for threats is over.

“We've got to respond,” Hultgren said. “The threats, or the line in the sand hasn't worked. So something has got to happen.”

Hultgren said he isn't sure what that something is yet. He wouldn't go as far as to support a missile strike at the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which is believed to have used chemical weapons on civilian activists last week. Reports indicate as many as 1,300 people died from a poison gas attack.

Republican Sen. Mark Kirk reportedly said Monday he supports a missile strike on the military unit involved in using the gas, but he opposes putting any troops on the ground in Syria. Hultgren said he respects Kirk's point of view, but said he will await an actual proposal detailing military options before deciding the best intervention.

“I want to make sure that we're very careful, but strong in whatever we do,” Hultgren said. “It is very clear how horrible this is, how inhumane this is. We can't just look the other way.”

Hultgren said he has not yet heard of any proposal coming forward from House leadership. He's also received no information about whether or not lawmakers will be called back to Washington, D.C., for a session debriefing on the options for intervention.