Obama: War-weariness a factor in Syria decision

President Obama said he didn’t choose to launch a military strike in Syria not because “it’s not worth it” but that “after a decade of war…the United States has limits.”

In an interview with Scott Pelley, the anchor of the CBS Evening News on Friday, Obama explained that it would have been a burden on the nation’s troops and their families. 

The president also added that the “costs and the capacity to actually shape in a sustained way an outcome that was viable” without having to commit resources for years, “those are things that the United States would have a hard time executing.

“And it’s not clear whether the outcome in fact would have turned out significantly better,” he continued. 

Obama also weighed in on his meeting with Pope Francis earlier in the week saying that he “projects the kind of humility and kindness that is consistent with my understanding at least of Jesus’s teachings. 

“He seems to have a good sense of humor,” Obama added. “And I suspect, my sense is that he’s a little bit uncomfortable with all the trappings of being pope.”