Tim Kaine: Haley Right, 'No Political Solution' in Syria With Assad

Sen. Tim Kaine said Sunday he agrees with the Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley that there's no political solution to the civil war in Syria if Syria's President Bashar al-Assad remains in power.

In an interview on NBC News' "Meet The Press," Kaine said the United States immediately needs to focus on humanitarian relief to Syrians.

"I agree with Ambassador Haley that I don't think there's any political solution to the civil war in Syria that doesn't mean that Assad moves aside, because he's tearing up the country," Kaine said.

"But instead of regime change, what we should focus on is humanitarian relief," he added, noting that in February 2014, "The U.N. Security Council said, 'We should be delivering humanitarian aid to Syrians'

"If we had started doing that then, many fewer would have left the country. That's what we should do. But neither regime change nor a full-on, unauthorized war against Syria is what we should be doing."

Kaine added that he's "a strong supporter that the U.S. should take action to protect humanitarian causes like the ban on use of chemical weapons."

"And so I voted for a limited strike in August of 2013 to do exactly the same thing," he said. "And a limited strike for that purpose, for the humanitarian purpose, is something I would likely support if there's a plan."

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