Key Senators Press Obama to Say Assad Must Go

U.S. President Barack Obama must declare that his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, has squandered his legitimacy and must step down, three key senators urged Thursday.

"We urge President Obama to state unequivocally -- as he did in the case of (Libyan leader Moammar) Gadhafi and (Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak -- that it is time for Assad to go," Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham and independent Senator Joe Lieberman said in a joint statement.

They also urged Obama to "take tangible diplomatic and economic measures to isolate and pressure the Assad regime," targeting the Syrian leader himself and his top aides, and warned the situation had reached "a decisive point."

Their comments came as foreign and domestic pressure mounted on Assad over a bloody crackdown against demonstrations demanding democratic reforms, with at least 453 civilians killed across Syria since protests first erupted in mid-March, according to human rights activists.

"By following the path of Moammar Gadhafi and deploying military forces to crush peaceful demonstrations, Assad and those loyal to him have lost the legitimacy to remain in power in Syria," the senators said.

"Rather than hedging our bets or making excuses for the Assad regime, it is time for the United States, together with our allies in Europe and around the world, to align ourselves unequivocally with the Syrian people in their peaceful demand for a democratic government," they said.

"Bashar al-Assad has been given countless chances to pursue meaningful dialogue and reform. He has squandered all of them," the senators said.