The Obama administration must be absolutely convinced it was Bashar Assad's government which used chemical weapons and not rebels eager to draw the United States into the war, Michael Reagan warned in an exclusive Newsmax interview.
He said he tweeted on Monday that he was worried the Damascus gassing could be similar to the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 that drew the United States into the Vietnam War and was later found to have been based on a false encounter with the North Vietnamese.
"We better be assured that it's Bashar Assad's group that's using the chemical weapons and it's not the other side who ... is using them to pull American into that battle in the Middle East," Reagan told Newsmax TV.
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The son of former President Ronald Reagan recalls that the United States was also led into a war with Iraq based on faulty information, and it's a mistake that the country does not want to make again.
"Remember, we went into Iraq based on the information we were getting about weapons of mass destruction. We better be sure who's using these weapons in Syria. Is it Assad or is it the rebels who, in fact, would love to have America come in? Remember, the rebels were being beaten back by Bashar Assad. So what reason would he have to use chemical weapons?"
The United States should also be skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his involvement in the Syrian conflict.
"Putin is the puppet master in all of this and, so far, he's outdone the president of the United States at every turn," Reagan added.
See more from the exclusive Michael Reagan interview:
Michael Reagan: 'The Butler' Disparages Memory of Ronald Reagan
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