Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a strong push for U.S. intervention in Syria Monday evening in her relatively new role as a paid contributor for CBS News. Rice told CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley that the country has no option to “sit on the sidelines” when it comes to the Syrian conflict.

Rice echoed sentiments made by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who recently returned from a secret trip to the region, when she suggested that a military no-fly zone would be a viable option to challenge Bashar al-Assad‘s regime. “There’s no doubt it’s time for the United States to make clear that it is going to engage in this effort to stop the difficult situation in Syria and to prevent its further spread,” she stated. “It’s already spreading across the region. So the United States doesn’t have an option of no action.”