A day after President Barack Obama laid out his proposal for a limited military strike against Syria, some lawmakers from his own Democratic Party are openly sceptical on whether Congress would authorise the use of force.
After a classified briefing provided on Sunday to lawmakers on Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons, Democratic Congressman Jim Himes commented: “There’s a great deal of scepticism about the utility, effectiveness and support that we would have for the kind of strike that the president has proposed.”
Another Democratic lawmaker, Janice Hahn from California said: “I feel terrible about the chemical weapons that have been used. However, we know chemical weapons have been used in other instances and we did not take military action.” The House of Representatives is controlled by the Republicans, and this is what Peter King, senior Republican Congressman from New York, told Fox News: “I would say if the vote were today, it would probably be a no vote.” King, a supporter of the military offensive, argues Obama is empowered to act on his own and need not have sought Congressional authorisation.
The White House, however, remains confident. Having already mounted a major lobbying effort, officials believe that their campaign backed by hard evidence would bring round members opposed to a new military action, even if it were to be limited in scope and duration. After a decade of US involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, the opposition to any military action is widely prevalent among members.
As part of the administration’s push for Congressional support, Secretary of State John Kerry asserted on Sunday talk shows on five major television networks that the US had new evidence showing that the Assad regime had used the deadly sarin gas in the August 21 attack in Damascus, reportedly killing more than 1,400 people.
It remains to be seen to what extend the Obama administration’s tough talk and assertions of hard evidence translate into votes in Congress. Vice President Joe Biden and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough worked the phones on Sunday to Senators and Representatives for support.
Obama himself was to meet senior Republican Senator John McCain on Monday. McCain, a known hawk, has attacked Obama for a different reason. He is not satisfied with “pinpricks” in the form of limited missile attacks, but an all-out push to topple the Assad regime.