Riley: Washington shouldn't rely on Russia to disarm Syria Jason Riley, Editorial Board member of the Wall Street Journal, said on "Special Report with Bret Baier" Wednesday that that the U.S. should not rely on Russia to assist in removing Bashar Assad's chemical weapons because "Moscow has been arming Syria for the past 50 years." He also said President Obama looked weak in his speech to the nation Tuesday night. "I wish he hadn't given that speech last night because he looked uncertain, he looked weak," Riley said. It is the last thing you want in your commander in chief projecting. This is a president who has suffered a foreign policy defeat; he was trying to spin it into a victory. The idea that success in Syria runs through Moscow is ridiculous on its face. Moscow has been arming Syria for the past 50 years. The idea that they're going to lead the way on disarmament is a joke. Obama told the nation he wants to give diplomacy a chance before ordering military strikes against Syria. On Thursday Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Geneva to pursue diplomatic options.