WASHINGTON — The Senate took a crucial step Wednesday toward authorizing a punitive strike on Syria but deep reluctance was evident in the House, where lawmakers questioned whether the U.S. was in danger of being drawn into another Middle East war.
President Obama, who announced Saturday that he would seek legislative backing for military action in response to Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons, sought to raise the pressure on Congress as well as U.S. allies, warning that their reputations were at stake.
Administration officials have repeatedly compared Syrian President Bashar Assad to Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler, and said he needs to be deterred from using chemical weapons again.
On a 10-7 vote, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution to authorize U.S. missile strikes. The committee chairman, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), said Congress should "make sure Assad understands he can't just wait us out, use chemical weapons and face no consequences."
Several senators from both parties, including opponents of the resolution, predicted the Senate would approve it next week. Yet the Senate's conflicted views were clear in the vote, which saw Democrats and Republicans on each side. Menendez and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) supported the resolution, while conservative Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) voted with liberal Tom Udall (D-N.M.) against it.
Serious doubts on U.S. military action were aired in a hearing in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and other lawmakers repeatedly asked about the risks of U.S. involvement in Syria's civil war, while Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) questioned why the United States should side with Syrian rebels when "radical Islamists" make up most of their forces.
Obama, meanwhile, insisted he was not alone in demanding a response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in the suburbs of Damascus on Aug. 21, but was joined by nations that signed treaties banning chemical weapons and by Congress, which ratified them. "I didn't set a red line; the world set a red line" he said. "That wasn't something I just kind of made up."
The Senate committee's resolution limits any U.S. mission to 90 days and prohibits the use of ground troops...
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- Unknown Updated at: Thursday, September 05, 2013
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