COMMENTARY: Time for the U.S. to Take Military Action Against Syria's Assad

The Vatican plans to send a high-profile delegation to Syria within the next few days, in order to try to formulate a political solution to ending the war there that has resulted in the loss of more than 32,000 lives during the past year and a half.

As one Vatican cardinal said, "We cannot be mere spectators of a tragedy such as the one that is unfolding in Syria."

While the Vatican must be commended for its effort to end the multitude of killings in Syria, the same cannot be said of the United States.

Rather, the United States must be viewed with shame for its clearly indifferent and unsympathetic attitude, while scores of Syrians are needlessly being killed every day by the dictatorial government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Just why the United States does not take military action against Assad and his Syrian henchmen to end these unrestricted killings is incomprehensible -- and inexcusable.

When there was similar violence and killings in Libya a little over a year ago, the United States -- with the support of NATO -- bombed Libyan troops and government strongholds, thus helping to quickly end the barbaric atrocities of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was killed by revolutionary fighters in October 2011. The same kind of of bombing should be used against Assad to hasten the end of his barbaric regime.

The fact is that as long as the United States delays implementing a military plan to put an end to Assad's inhumane dictatorship, we can be sure that scores of Syrians -- including many innocent children and women -- will continue to be killed every day for many more months, perhaps even years.

And that is a sad -- and indeed unnecessary -- ordeal not only for the people of Syria, but for all of humanity.