Rep. Van Hollen: We need additional evidence linking Assad to chemical weapons

A senior U.S. Official tells CNN's Jim Acosta that the U.S. could go it alone in Syria, after our closest ally votes against taking action.

British lawmakers voted down a proposal to strike Syria. Britain's prime minister says he will not go against parliament.

Here at home right now top lawmakers are being briefed by the white house. The president's top national security officials are making their case against the Syrian regime.

Will the administration be able to win enough support?

OutFront: Top Democrat in the House Rep. Chris Van Hollen

What next in Syria: 5 lessons from Iraq

(CNN) - Our experience in Iraq provides three essential lessons that should guide America's response to the Syrian regime's alleged use of chemical weapons against its own people.

First, the president must present the American people and the international community with clear evidence that the al-Assad regime was responsible for the use of chemical weapons. The Bush administration took America to war in Iraq based on the false claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, including stockpiles of chemical weapons.

Those false claims not only led us into a costly and unnecessary war, but did lasting damage to America's credibility. That erosion of credibility is haunting us now, as many in the international community question our claim that the al-Assad regime used chemical weapons. That makes it imperative that the Obama administration present clear and convincing evidence that the al-Assad regime was responsible for the chemical weapons use.

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