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Breaking news: Senate committee approves use of military force in Syria


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By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News

Carrying limited backing from Republicans at home, President Barack Obama traveled to Europe on Wednesday and declared that punishing Syria for using chemical weapons was a matter of upholding the credibility of the world.

The president landed in Stockholm and, at a press conference with the Swedish prime minister, outlined the administration’s case for action. Answering a question about his statement last year that Syrian use of chemical weapons would be a “red line,” Obama said the response was not about him.

“I didn’t set a red line — the world set a red line,” Obama said. “The international community’s credibility is on the line, and America and Congress’ credibility is on the line because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important.”

He added: “When those videos first broke and you saw images of over 400 children subjected to gas, everybody expressed outrage. How can this happen in this modern world? Well, it happened because a government chose to deploy these deadly weapons on civilian populations.”

Obama appeared at risk of losing the support of a critical Republican ally, Sen. John McCain of Arizona. He told NBC News that he would not back a draft of a Senate resolution authorizing force against Syria because it does not address “changing the momentum on the battlefield” and arming rebels who have fought the Syrian government for more than two years.

The leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee agreed Tuesday on the draft and aimed to vote on it by the end of the day Wednesday. Senators spent more than three hours in closed session as Secretary of State John Kerry and committee leaders tried to build enough support to make sure the resolution can pass the committee.

Later in the day, Kerry and other top administration officials went before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to confront skeptics and press the administration’s case. Hagel estimated the cost of a limited strike at tens of millions of dollars.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tells a House committee Wednesday that failure to act with military force in Syria would be a historic mistake.

Kerry said American inaction would “live in infamy,” and he drew analogies to black marks of history — the appeasement of Adolf Hitler before World War II and the U.S.’ refusal to accept a boat full of Jewish refugees from Germany in 1939.

“There are moments when you have to make a decision,” he said. “And I think this is one of those moments.”

Asked in Sweden whether he would strike Syria even if Congress votes down a resolution authorizing military force, Obama said: “I believe that Congress will approve it.”

He added: “I do not believe that I was required to take this to Congress, but I did not take this to Congress just because it’s an empty exercise. I think it’s important to have Congress’ support on it.”

The president said he was mindful that memories of the Iraq war were fresh, particularly in Europe.

“Keep in mind I’m somebody who opposed the war in Iraq, and am not interested in repeating mistakes of us basing decisions on faulty intelligence,” he said. “But having done a thoroughgoing evaluation of the information that is currently available, I can say with high confidence that chemical weapons were used.”

On Tuesday, some Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, lent their support to a limited attack on the Syrian government for using poison gas against rebels outside the Syrian capital Aug. 21.

The resolution would limit American involvement to two months, with a possible one-month extension, and would bar the use of ground forces. The administration has said punishing Syria would not mean putting “boots on the ground.”

“The president is not asking you to go to war,” Kerry told Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. and a skeptic of a Syria strike, during a hearing of the Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., debate whether America should launch military strikes against Syria.

At Wednesday’s House hearing, Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, expressed deep reservations and asked whether Obama would have “bothered to come to Congress” if the British Parliament had passed its own resolution supporting military force. Parliament rejected it instead.

“I believe he absolutely would have,” Kerry said.

In a tense exchange, Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., said he had recently spoken to a group of eighth-graders “who get it. They get it that we shouldn’t be drug into someone else’s civil war where there are no good guys.”

He praised Kerry for always showing caution with respect to the American armed forces, then asked him whether power was “so intoxicating” to the Obama administration that it couldn’t resist “pulling the trigger” on a conflict.

“I volunteered to fight for my country, and that wasn’t a cautious thing to do when I did it,” Kerry shot back. “I am not going to sit here and be told by you that I don’t have a sense of what the judgment is with respect to this.”

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked about potential Syrian retaliation. Among the risks he mentioned were that Syria could use rockets to attack its neighbors or American facilities, could encourage surrogate groups to attack American interests or could stage a cyberattack.

Obama on Thursday heads for Russia for a summit of the so-called Group of 20 economic powers. President Vladimir Putin, in something of a surprise, gave an interview in which he did not rule out military action against Syria.

Putin, in an interview with The Associated Press, said that Russia “doesn’t exclude” supporting a United Nations resolution on a strike — if it is proved that the Syrian regime indeed used poison gas on its people.

The United States says it has incontrovertible proof that Syrian leader Bashar Assad gassed more than 1,400 people in a rebel-held neighborhood.

But Putin said that it seems “absolutely absurd” that Syria, an ally of Russia, would use chemical weapons. Syria has the upper hand against the rebels, Putin said, and Syria knows that using chemicals would trigger an international response, perhaps forceful.

Further, Putin said Wednesday that Congress had no right to “legitimize aggression” against Syria, and accused Kerry of lying to Congress about al Qaeda’s role in the conflict, Reuters reported.

Foreign affairs analysts have said that Russia and China, both of which hold veto power as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, would block any American effort to secure U.N. support for a strike.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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***///

 

hobummer says he does not need this authorization to break the law. :angry:

But you know his ego is doing cartwheels over the affirmation from a democrat-heavy senate.

 

nancy Pelosi probably jumped out of her seat and clapped like a trained seal at the passage. <_<

 

she has squawked about the CW's murdering little babies,

but doesn't think abortions here in our own Country do the same thing. <_<

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OK, chemical weapons were used but are they sure by whome, Asad or al qaeda. Its hard to believe we are on the side with al qaeda. Are we going to start accepting al qaeda refugee's into the US. I say stop helping people that want to kill us.



***///

 

hobummer says he does not need this authorization to break the law. :angry:

But you know his ego is doing cartwheels over the affirmation from a democrat-heavy senate.

 

nancy Pelosi probably jumped out of her seat and clapped like a trained seal at the passage. <_<

 

she has squawked about the CW's murdering little babies,

but doesn't think abortions here in our own Country do the same thing. <_<

I just had a picture of nancy Pelosi in my head barking like a seal. Pretty funny. 

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OK, chemical weapons were used but are they sure by whome, Asad or al qaeda. Its hard to believe we are on the side with al qaeda. Are we going to start accepting al qaeda refugee's into the US. I say stop helping people that want to kill us

 

I just had a picture of nancy Pelosi in my head barking like a seal. Pretty funny. 

***////

 

We agree re: the use of the CW's....

 

and yes, nancy loves to hop up & down and clap and bark whenever her MESSiah speaks.

 

and whenever she's wearing a ruffled blouse & collar,

it's even more ridiculous, all we're missing is a few more clowns and some circus music! :bravo: bark, bark, bark!

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They said....NO BOOT's on THE GROUND-----does paw's count...? :salute:

***///

 

No indeed. As Paws don't get checks on the 15th & 30th from the Dept. of Defence ! :o  ^_^

 

 

 

And as far as "boots on the ground"... he lied about that, too.  :angry:

 

He refused to include paid Independent contractors (like he was using in Benghazi & elsewhere),

and other "special" entities, agents and officers in the wording in there...

 

You know we'll have all kinds of these folks on the ground in there and - as usual with him -

it is merely a matter if verbal semantics and "scripted wording".....

 

Americans on the ground are going to be murdered there because of him.

 

Benghazi all over again !  And he'll leave them there to die, too

because he'll say he cannot send troops in to save them EITHER because

he agreed not to put "boots on the ground"!

 

Just watch. :angry: 

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nancy Pelosi probably jumped out of her seat and clapped like a trained seal at the passage. <_<

 

she has squawked about the CW's murdering little babies,

but doesn't think abortions here in our own Country do the same thing. <_<

 

Amen to that SgtFury. I thought I read somewhere that her response was

 

"Let's just pass this and then we can read it to find out what's in it"...... :backflip:  :backflip:  :bravo:

 

And I guess after the smoke clears, Barry will just call this a phony scandal!

Edited by wpsmit
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Amen to that SgtFury. I thought I read somewhere that her response was

"Let's just pass this and then we can read it to find out what's in it"...... :backflip:  :backflip:  :bravo:

And I guess after the smoke clears, Barry will just call this a phony scandal!

***///

 

She did indeed make that statement when forcing through the hobummer-lack-o-care Unaffordable Act !

Everybody was sure stupid to do as she commanded.  Bet they're sorry now !

Especially because we're all going to vote them all out come the Mid-Terms!

 

And you're right ---

hobummer will indeed find a way to weasel himself out of this -- and his media machine

will NEVER do to him what they did to The BushMasterSnake!

 

Anybody else see Kerry play-acting at being all capable with his scripted jargon and all

this speech-making? -- plagerizing from some of the world's greatest leaders?  IT'S SICKENING!

 

Looks like they're waxing him up to be hillarious' running mate,

they're throwing him so many obvious bones!

 

wow... that cat hasn't had an original thought since 1956 !  <_<

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When I joined this site three years ago - I warned of the insidious growth of Saudi influence in/on our country.  These are the most cunning people on the planet and we continually fall for their little schemes to gain regional, theocratic control along with their expansion/retention of markets.  The Assad regime (along with Iranian support) has been the roadblock to Mediterranean pipelines servicing increased European demand - and emboldened the Shiite majority (about 75% of the population) living in Saudi Arabia.  The surrender of governance and loss of markets are what the Arab block fears most.  They have a lot of money to buy what ever it takes (including U.S. policing) to overthrow and thwart Shiite incursion.

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***///

 

hobummer says he does not need this authorization to break the law. :angry:

But you know his ego is doing cartwheels over the affirmation from a democrat-heavy senate.

 

nancy Pelosi probably jumped out of her seat and clapped like a trained seal at the passage. <_<

 

she has squawked about the CW's murdering little babies,

but doesn't think abortions here in our own Country do the same thing. <_<

 

 

At my house we call that HYPOCRITIC, polosi of course. 

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I worry where this will lead in the end....I guess they did not see the people's vote (38% yes to 58% no) I thought O said with the peoples approval....?

 

 

Here is a clue, North Vietnam 1965. A communist victory and politically correct war, just like this one will be. When you fire the generals that don't bow to the king that's what you can expect. :twocents:

 

My self, embarrassed for my country because of these clowns running this :rolleyes:  world circus. Not a Happy camper.

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How the committee voted  http://nation.foxnews.com/2013/09/04/syria-authorization-clears-committee-click-here-how-senators-voted
 
Here is how the Senate committee members voted:
 
Voting yea:
Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Bob Corker (R-TN), Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Senate Majority Whip **** Durbin and Angus King (I-ME).

 
Noes were Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jim Risch (R-ID), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Barrasso (R-WY), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Tom Udall (D-NM).
 
Dems lose two of their own.
 
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), the newest member of the Senate voted "present."

 

 

 

 

The Yea voters need to go home - replaced with more constitutional minded reps.

 

:cowboy2:

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I'm furious about this.  Just how loud and explicit do we have to get for these bozos to listen.  How discriminate will our actions be?  This affair is not worth one drop of American blood.  I fear we will be drawn deeper into this mess.  Kerry said no boots on the ground but you all know that will change.

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America is about to kick a hornets nest, the world is against us and We the People are mostly against this. Lord have mercy on our souls. WWIII?

Out with ALL Senators that voted for this.

 

Indeed my friend!!  :unsure:

What the rest of the world is hearing is that AMERICA SAYS:

 

Continue the slaughter of innocent civilians , women , children the elderly .

BUT do it without using chemical weapons and we are OK with that.  

 

 

WTF

 

Pretty much sums it up Big Dog.  The whole thing is a joke, we don't know who used the CW's, hell it could have been the CIA setting this up.  It makes no sense for Assad to do that.  Let me see if I'm missing something:  Assad is winning, the rebels can't win without outside help, Assad knows the world, (well the USA), will put her boot to his throat if he uses them, he knows chemical weapons analysts are coming in, but he used CW's anyways?  Something is wrong with this picture.  You'd think Assad would be screaming from the rooftops he didn't use them though if it wasn't his people, so what's really going on? <_<

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OK, chemical weapons were used but are they sure by whome, Asad or al qaeda. Its hard to believe we are on the side with al qaeda. Are we going to start accepting al qaeda refugee's into the US. I say stop helping people that want to kill us.

 

 

And that brother is the nexus of the question they continue to obscure. 

It is not nor ever was were they used... 

It is

Did Assad order their deployment??

 

Not only al Qaeda, don't forget al-Nursa, the jihadist extremists are also part of the opposition. 

 

ITs probably also really important to note that at this juncture

The US Senate has NOT approved this.

This approval is from the Cmttee on Foreign Relations, or some other committee.... 

IT is NOT at this juncture the entire Senate.... 

 

:D  :D  :D 

What the rest of the world is hearing is that AMERICA SAYS:

 

Continue the slaughter of innocent civilians , women , children the elderly .

BUT do it without using chemical weapons and we are OK with that.  

 

 

WTF

 

You are more gracious than I..... 

I hear then saying,....  death by the chemical weapons we gave al-Qaeda is an outrage and we demand the right to kill them with officially sanctioned US military bombs,  as far more justifiable and righteous death. 

I'll be damned if they order me out of retirement for this...23yrs not enough for you Uncle Sam??? :blink:

 

Not if you are younger than 60 and rated  :angel:

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