John Kerry still hearts Assad

From the Boston Globe:

Kerry, a leading proponent of the Obama administration’s controversial attempt to improve relations with Syria, has publicly warned Assad not to kill his own people. But Kerry has not called for him to step down, as he did with embattled leaders in Egypt and Libya.

As recently as last month, the Massachusetts Democrat said he remained optimistic that Assad would usher in an era of warmer relations and reform.

“I personally am very, very encouraged,’’ Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank. His remarks were made March 16, the day after protests broke out in Syria. “I have been a believer for some period of time that we could make progress in that relationship.’’