White House: "Syria would be a much better place without President Assad!"

"... The two leaders agreed that the bloodshed must immediately end, the White House said. Separately, presidential spokesman Jay Carney stopped just short of calling for President Bashar Assad's ouster, saying that Syria "would be a much better place without him ... We believe that President Assad's opportunity to lead the transition has passed," Carney told reporters traveling on Air Force One with Obama to Michigan... The White House said Obama and Erdogan also agreed that the demands of the Syrian people for a transition to democracy must be met, and that the pair agreed to consult closely in the coming days as the situation in Syria develops..."