A group of senators on Tuesday drafted a new use-of-force resolution relating to Syria that, if passed, gives President Barack Obama 60 days to act, with one possible 30-day extension. However, despite opposition from several lawmakers, the resolution does not prohibit "boots on the ground" in every single circumstance.
While it seems to bar the use of U.S. ground forces in Syria for "combat operations," Democrats reportedly insisted that Obama should be able to deploy forces under limited circumstances, "such as special forces operations or to secure stocks of chemical weapons," Politico notes.
Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) came together to craft the revised resolution following a tense Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 03: Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) (L) and Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) listens to witnesses on the topic of 'The Authorization of Use of Force in Syria' during a committee hearing September 3, 2013 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Barack Obama is attempting to enlist the support of members of the U.S. Congress for military action against the Syrian government for using chemical weapons against its own people last month. Credit: Getty Images
Corker apparently lost on two major issues in the crafting of the new resolution. The Tennessee Republican reportedly wanted to impose a mandatory 30-day deadline for Obama to order any military action against Syria and enforce a strict no "boots on the ground" policy in any and all circumstances.
Officials said the emerging Senate measure would receive a vote Wednesday in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Approval is likely.
"You're probably going to win" Congress' backing, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a conservative and likely opponent of the measure, conceded in a late-afternoon exchange with Secretary of State John Kerry.
The leader of House Republicans, Boehner emerged from a meeting at the White House and said the United States has "enemies around the world that need to understand that we're not going to tolerate this type of behavior.
We also have allies around the world and allies in the region who also need to know that America will be there and stand up when it's necessary."
The White House had no immediate reaction to the Senate measure, although Kerry, testifying earlier before the committee, signaled that the troop restriction was acceptable to the administration. "There's no problem in our having the language that has zero capacity for American troops on the ground," he said.
"President Obama is not asking America to go to war," Kerry said in a strongly worded opening statement. He added, "This is not the time for armchair isolationism. This is not the time to be spectators to slaughter."
US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill September 3, 2013 in Washington, DC. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Obama said earlier in the day he was open to revisions in the relatively broad request the White House made over the weekend. He expressed confidence Congress would respond to his call for support and said Assad's action "poses a serious national security threat to the United States and to the region.
The administration says 1,429 died from the attack on Aug. 21 in a Damascus suburb. Casualty estimates by other groups are far lower, and Assad's government blames the episode on rebels who have been seeking to overthrow his government in a civil war that began over two years ago. A United Nations inspection team is awaiting lab results on tissue and soil samples it collected while in the country before completing a closely watched report.
The president met top lawmakers at the White House before embarking on an overseas trip to Sweden and Russia, leaving the principal lobbying at home for the next few days to Vice President Joe Biden and other members of his administration.
Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sat shoulder-to-shoulder at the Senate committee hearing while, a few hundred miles away, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged caution. He said any punitive action against Syria could unleash more turmoil and bloodshed, and he advised that such strikes would be legal only in self-defense under the U.N. Charter or if approved by the organization's Security Council. Russia and China have repeatedly used their veto power in the council to block action against Assad.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
–
[related]
