McCain Urges Lawmakers to Back Obama’s Plan for Syria
Source: New York Times
WASHINGTON The White House pushed forward aggressively on Monday for Congressional approval of an attack on Syria as President Obama got tentative support from one of his most hawkish Republican critics, Senator John McCain of Arizona, for a limited strike as long, Mr. McCain said, as the president did more to arm the Syrian opposition.
After an hourlong meeting with Mr. Obama at the White House, Mr. McCain emerged with Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, to say that the two senators discussions with Mr. Obama in the Oval Office had been encouraging. He also urged Congress to support Mr. Obama in his plan for military action in Syria, saying that a no vote would be catastrophic for the United States and its credibility in the world.
The words from Mr. McCain were a positive development for the White House and a critical part of the Obama administrations lobbying blitz on Syria on Monday. The day got off to a start with a 70-minute telephone briefing to the House Democratic Caucus by Secretary of State John Kerry; Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel; Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Susan E. Rice, the national security adviser; and James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence.
Administration officials said the influential pro-Israel lobby group Aipac was already at work pressing for military action against the government of Mr. Assad, fearing that if Syria escapes American retribution for its use of chemical weapons, Iran might be emboldened in the future to attack Israel. In the House, the majority leader, Eric Cantor of Virginia, the only Jewish Republican in Congress, has long worked to challenge Democrats traditional base among Jews.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/03/world/middleeast/syria.html?_r=0
progressoid
(49,933 posts)warrant46
(2,205 posts)They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason.
― Ernest Hemingway
Erose999
(5,624 posts)That was the best I could come up with on short notice. I'm sure Mayor McCheese has some interns working on it though.
durablend
(7,455 posts)Again we're expected to go bankrupt for Israel.
Explains why we can't have nice things in this country.
David__77
(23,311 posts)...
sendero
(28,552 posts)... right out of my mouth. McCain is the most reliable contrary indicator in the world, except for maybe Joe Lieberman.
Berlum
(7,044 posts)sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)One thing that is patently obvious to me is that Obama didn't think any of this through, starting from the day he issued his "red line" proclamation, all the way through to when he said he was going in even without any Congressional approval and without a single other nation at our side.
These extra 10 days could give an opportunity for some cooler heads to prevail. If they are dead set on having some 'sploshuns in Syria, at least maybe they will find a way to do this that is smarter than anything they have demonstrated on this issue so far.