Idaho senator says window closed for good options in Syria
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Senate Foreign Relations member Jim Risch, R-Idaho, worries that the president has "gotten us to the point where America is viewed differently."
Whether it's negotiations with Iran, hand-wringing over Syria or deteriorating relations with longtime allies, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, is using his perch on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to try to limit the damage he thinks President Barack Obama has done to America's standing across the Middle East.
The first-term senator, speaking to Al-Monitor at his Washington Senate office, has repeatedly defied the administration, notably with his vote to deny military action against Syria or his push to slap new sanctions on Iran despite ongoing nuclear talks.
Risch insists he's not motivated by ideology or partisanship, but rather by a deep-seated sense that Obama isn't up to the challenge.
"Starting from day one," Risch said in an interview in his office, Obama has gotten foreign policy wrong.
