Rubio Calls for 'Coalition of The Willing' in Syria

Sen. Marco Rubio is calling for a “coalition of the willing” to take on the Assad regime in Syria. The Florida Republican who is frequently mentioned as a possible running mate to Mitt Romney invoked the phrase made famous by President George W. Bush in his invasion of Iraq in an interview with BuzzFeed.

"The U.S. is indispensable [in] increasing a coalition of the willing, for lack of a better term," Rubio said according to the website. The formation of such a coalition would be to create a "safe operating space where Syrians that desire freedom are able to organize themselves and create a cohesive political and military positioning.”

Rubio made the comments during a trip to New York where he is to address the Council on Foreign Relations. Rubio told the website that the United States needed to help the rebels organize, adding, "The world has benefited greatly from America's power since the end of the Second World War. When America doesn't lead, what ensues is chaos — which is what you have now in Syria."

Rubio said the United States should enlist allies such as Turkey to help arm and train rebel fighters in Syria, a country that is descending into chaos after 15 months of unrest.

Following the massacre in Houla, Syria, that killed some 100 civilians, the United States and a number of other major countries expelled Syrian diplomats.

BuzzFeed reported that Rubio “stopped far short of calling for direct American military action.”