Obama Will Pledge to Consider Syria Compromise in Tonight's Speech

President Obama will tell the nation (again) on Tuesday night that his administration will consider a plan partially supported by the Russians to avoid a military strike in Syria. It's the latest shift in a somewhat frenetic reshuffling of the U.S.'s response to a chemical attack in Syria. That plan, on Tuesday, became slightly more complicated to implement as the details emerged on what the Russians would, and wouldn't support in order to avoid a strike on the country. That plan would involve Syria giving up its chemical weapons to international control. But Russia and Syria would like the U.S. to take the option of a strike off the table entirely. 

It doesn't look like Syria will get that exchange from the President tonight. According to NBC News, Obama is planning on "using conditional language and saying that an attack may be required." The New York Times has a great run-down of the challenges facing Obama as he prepares to sell a response to Syrian chemical weapons use to a skeptical American public, again. For one thing, they note, a majority of Americans do not believe that a Syrian strike would benefit the U.S., and don't think the president has outlined America's goals in that regard clearly enough. You can watch the speech, expected to run about 15 minutes, below. It starts at 9 p.m. EST: 

  JOIN THE LIVE CHAT VISIT WHITEHOUSE.GOV

 

Earlier on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton accepted the 2013 Liberty Medal, and briefly addressed Syria in her acceptance speech. As summarized by Reuters, Clinton said:

"How do we provide both security and liberty at home and abroad?" Clinton asked, saying that the Syrian government's chemical weapons use "violates a universal norm at the heart of our global order" and that the United States holds a unique capability and obligation to respond."