U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, released the following statement following President Barack Obama’s address to the nation Monday night:

“The situation in Libya, with a dictator turning a nation’s military against its own people, is tragic.  I remain very concerned, however, that President Obama has yet to clearly define the scope of our mission, the metrics for success, and our ultimate goal in Libya

“With chaos in Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, and Iran again stepping up activity in Syria and with Hamas, President Obama has yet to justify our involvement in Libya; even Defense Secretary Gates said the involvement was not in our vital national security interest.

“Tonight’s speech left many questions unanswered, and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I look forward to learning more from Administration regarding the national security rationale in the hearings and briefings to follow this week.”

-- John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah