Maybe Congress will straighten up and fly right.
Maybe.
That Obama has bowed to Congress on the question of Syria should come as no surprise, however. Not only is he a former senator, so is his Secretary of State John Kerry, his Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Vice President Joe Biden.
“I’ve long believed that our power is rooted not just in our military might, but in our example as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” Obama said.
What’s also telling in his decision to put the Syria question in the hands of Congress is Obama’s blatant dismissal of the United Nations Security Council. “I’m comfortable going forward without the approval of a United Nations Security Council that, so far, has been completely paralyzed and unwilling to hold [Syrian President Bashar al] Assad accountable,” Obama said.
Working with the legislative branch on a response to Syria backfired for U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, when the British Parliament voted earlier this week against any military action – something Obama is very mindful of.
“Many people have advised against taking this decision to Congress, and undoubtedly, they were impacted by what we saw happen in the United Kingdom this week when the Parliament of our closest ally failed to pass a resolution with a similar goal, even as the Prime Minister supported taking action,” Obama said.
Now Obama, like the rest of the country, will have to wait for a Congress that’s hugely unpopular and highly dysfunctional to come back to Washington to vote on whether it’s in U.S. interests to get involved in yet another irregular and unpredictable military conflict. …StephanieGaskell,DefenseOne — reprinted at The Atlantic.
Cross-posted from Prairie Weather
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