news today out of syria. government forces have taken control of the town of al kasar. in part due to the lack of the rebels sufficient arms. does the appointment today of susan rice, make military intervention in syria more or less likely? well, martin, good afternoon. i don t know if we can say whether or not it makes military intervention more or less likely. but we do know that susan rice has been incredibly outspoken, especially when it comes to human rights abuses. you will recall she was one of the key voices in terms of encouraging the united states and the u.n.-led effort into libya. she was one of the key voices when it came to increases sanctions with iran and north korea. so we know that she is someone who is not afraid to speak her mind on these issues. i would point out that the pressure is mounting. because of factors that you have discussed. one of them the fact that the government seems to be gaining