We convene this hearing, as we have convened many before, to make one of the most difficult decisions we are asked and tasked to make-the authorization of the use of American military power. This time in Syria to respond to the horrific chemical attack of August 21st that took the lives of 1,429 Syrians, including at least 426 children. The images of that day are sickening, and in my view, the world cannot ignore the inhumanity and the horror of this act. There are risks to action, but the consequences of inaction are greater and graver still: Further humanitarian disaster in Syria, regional instability, the loss of American credibility around the world, an emboldened Iran and North Korea, and a disintegration of international law. Our friends and allies await our decision, as does the despot in Pyongyang, the ayatollahs of terror in Tehran, and terrorist groups wherever they may be. What we do in the face of the chemical attack by the Assad regime against innocent civilians will send a signal to the world that such weapons in violation of international law cannot be used with impunity.