MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Syria

Interview

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Joining us tonight for the interview is Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California.

Congresswoman, thank you very much for being with us. It`s nice to have you here.

REP. BARBARA LEE (D), CALIFORNIA: My pleasure.

MADDOW: You have circulated a draft resolution that presents a menu of possible responses aimed at finding a solution to the Syrian crisis other than through military means. Have you had any input, bipartisan or otherwise, from your Democratic colleagues or your Republican colleagues on working on this type of approach?

LEE: Rachel, I must say, we`ve had quite a bit of input from our Democratic colleagues. We have not actually introduced it yet, but I think it`s very important, one, to recognize that the president really exercised tremendous leadership, constitutional leadership, by answering our call and by really deciding that he should come to Congress for this debate and a vote. He really believes in the process, in the democratic process.

And so, moving forward, we have submitted for review an alternative that really lays out nonmilitary options, because many of us believe, myself included, that, first of all, the Assad regime, Assad should be held accountable for these horrific crimes against humanity.

No one believes that this can go unchecked, but we do believe that there are other ways to put him in check and to hold him accountable. The secretary of state, Secretary of State Kerry indicated and said, and so has the president and others, that they want to get to a negotiated settlement, that there is no military option. And so, many of us believe that we have to seek and follow some nonmilitary strategies, diplomacy, negotiations, because if not, a military strike could lead us in the opposite direction.

MADDOW: It seems like in these fast-moving developments today that started with Secretary Kerry`s comments this morning but then moved very quickly when Russia and Syria both responded to what he floated as a potential way out of this, it seems like today, there is a much more feasible, nonmilitary solution to this chemical weapons problem than there was even 24 hours ago. Do you think that congress will play a role in trying to push all parties involved here toward that specific nonmilitary solution of Syria giving up its chemical weapons?

LEE: I hope so, because as part of my alternative, Rachel, we have that listed as a strategy, as what we think is one of the ways we can get to a negotiated settlement, and that`s by requiring Syria to join the chemical weapons convention. Having said that, it`s very important that this debate move forward and that we consider all of the nonmilitary options, and I`m very pleased with the fact that, of course, Russia, and we have to be cautiously optimistic about this, and Syria and others, are really looking at viable alternatives now.

And so, I think the president once again has shown tremendous leadership in being cautious, in being deliberative and really thinking about how to move forward in consideration of what the American people are saying in terms of the possible consequences, unintended consequences of a military strike.

MADDOW: Congresswoman Lee, you, of course, famously, were the one vote in either House of Congress back in 2001 against starting the Afghanistan war, which we are still in. You were opposed to the Iraq war. You`ve taken the responsibilities of Congress voting on matters of war and peace very seriously, even in the case of bucking all of Washington to vote your conscience.

Do you feel like your House of Congress, do you feel that the House of Representatives should get on this and start voting? So far it seems like the plan is to wait until the Senate has made their move. The Senate`s plan to vote on this has been delayed further by today`s developments. Do you think the House ought to start talking about this sooner rather than later?

LEE: Rachel, the House is talking about it, the American people are talking about it. There is no rush, as the president said. I believe this debate is very informative and it`s very needed, because the use of chemical weapons, it`s a dangerous, dangerous option that the Assad regime has exercised, and that should never, ever happen.
And so, now we`re hearing from both sides of the aisle, we`re hearing from the American people about the dangers of the use of chemical weapons, the horrendous, tragic consequences and what we need to do to stop this onslaught that`s taking place.

And so, we don`t need to rush, Rachel, we need to engage our diplomacy in a way that we`re, I think, doing right now in a very methodical way, the president and the administration. They`ve been doing this for years. And so, a military strike, the military option, that`s always going to be on the table.

So, we`re saying let diplomacy work, let`s see if we can get to a negotiated settlement, hold the Assad regime accountable and really begin to help resolve the conflict that`s taking place in Syria and so much of the Middle East.

MADDOW: California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, thank you so much for your time tonight, ma`am. It`s great to have you here.

LEE: Thank you. My pleasure.

MADDOW: Thank you

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