Fox News President Obama cleared his first hurdle on Wednesday in his push for a military strike in Syria, as a key Senate panel voted to authorize the use of force.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 10-7, with one senator voting present, to approve a military strike in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack last month. The full Senate is expected to vote on the measure next week.
The vote came after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., raised objections to an earlier draft. The objections forced lawmakers to renegotiate the language; McCain ultimately won some tougher language clarifying that U.S. action would be aimed in part at changing the momentum on the ground.
The resolution specifically would permit Obama to order a limited military mission against Syria, as long as it doesn’t exceed 90 days and involves no American troops on the ground for combat operations. The Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez, and the panel’s top Republican, Sen. Bob Corker, crafted the resolution.
The vote marked the first time lawmakers have voted to authorize military action since the October 2002 votes giving President George W. Bush the authority to invade Iraq.
It’s still unclear, though, whether a coalition exists in the House to adopt the authorization. A testy House committee hearing on Obama’s request for authorization showed deep divisions in that chamber over the question of getting more deeply involved in the Syrian conflict. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioned whether a “limited” military strike could pull the U.S. into some additional military intervention.
McCain had threatened earlier this week to vote against a White House draft resolution unless Obama promised to support Syria’s rebels. Following a meeting with Obama at the White House on Monday, McCain seemed to indicate support for a broad plan to respond to the use of chemical weapons, though he stopped short of saying he supported a specific resolution.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee could vote on authorizing the use of force as early as Wednesday afternoon, the first in a series of votes as the president’s request makes its way through Senate and House committees before coming before the two chambers for a final vote.
Separately, the House Foreign Affairs Committee was holding a hearing on Wednesday, which was turning out to be more contentious than the hearing held a day earlier on the Senate side.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/04/mccain-opposes-syria-strike-resolution/#ixzz2dxImHrc0
“The resolution specifically would permit Obama to order a limited military mission against Syria, as long as it doesn’t exceed 90 days and involves no American troops on the ground for combat operations.”
Bahahahahaha! Yea right. Do they really think we are that stupid? Since when does a war ever end within 90 days? What insane, delusional reality are they living in? Are kidding me? What a joke.
“Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioned whether a “limited” military strike could pull the U.S. into some additional military intervention.”
Gee…ya think?
OMG! With children like this in Congress, it’s a wonder how our country is still existing.
I bet Benji Netanyahu just nuted in his pants.
They do not know, nor do they care, what the repercussions of their actions today will be with regard to a responsive attack on this country (per Putin’s warning).
What happens when you punch someone in the nose? You get punched back. Be ready for the blow back, ‘cuz it’s comin’ to America for sure now!!
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