People fearing American strikes left an area of Aleppo on Saturday. Syrian officials said they were ready to respond to any attack.
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday, delivering a full-throated defense of President Obama’s plan to delay military action against Syria, called the move to seek Congressional approval a “courageous decision” and said the administration has evidence that the neurotoxin sarin was used in the Aug. 21 chemical attack that killed more than 1,400 people.
One day after Mr. Obama stunned the world by halting what had seemed an inexorable push toward a cruise missile attack, Mr. Kerry, who has been the administration’s most forceful advocate for intervention, was left to defend the surprising reversal in a string of appearances on morning talk shows. The appearances – Mr. Kerry was a guest on five morning shows – underscore the administration’s tenuous position after a week of fits and starts over Syria.
“I think the president realized in consultations with Congress that people wanted to weigh in,” Mr. Kerry said on the CBS program “Face the Nation.” “And he believed, after thinking about it, that the United States of America is much stronger when we act in concert.”
With many lawmakers openly skeptical, Mr. Kerry predicted that Congress would not “turn its back” on its obligation to uphold international norms against the use of chemical weapons. He said that hair and blood samples from first responders who were helping victims in East Damascus “have tested positive for signatures of sarin,” the first time anyone in the administration has pinpointed a particular cause.
In recent days, as he built a case for intervention, Mr. Kerry has called the attack a “moral obscenity” and branded President Bashar al-Assad “a thug and a murderer.” On Sunday, he likened Mr. Assad to two other dictators — Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein – who in the past violated the international prohibition on the use of chemical weapons.
On “Fox News Sunday,” Mr. Kerry issued a pointed warning to Mr. Assad not to be “foolish enough” to take advantage of Mr. Obama’s delay. He suggested that the president would not wait for approval from lawmakers, who are on recess until Sept. 9, should another attack occur before they come back to Washington.
“If the Assad regime were to be foolish enough to attack yet again and to do something in the meantime,” Mr. Kerry said, “of course the president of the United States knows he has the power to do this, and I assume the president would move very, very rapidly.”
Mr. Kerry said Sunday that the president believes Congressional backing is necessary to send a message to nations like Iran and North Korea, which are pursuing nuclear weapons. He also invoked American interests in protecting Israel, Jordan and other allies in the Middle East. He suggested Congress cannot “have it both ways,” by demanding a say in the decision and then refusing to uphold the convention against the use of chemical weapons.
“Congress has a responsibility here, too,” Mr. Kerry said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He added: “Iran will read importantly what we decide to do with respect to the enforcement of this convention in Syria. Israel is at risk. Jordan is at risk. Turkey is at risk. The region is at risk, and we believe the Congress of the United States will do what is responsible.”
Securing Arab League support for a potential American punitive attack has become an important element of the Obama administration’s plan to try to win Congressional support. Mr. Kerry has been in touch with his Saudi counterpart and the leader of the Syrian opposition regarding the meeting, which is scheduled for Sunday night in Cairo.
The administration’s hope is that a statement of support from the Arab League can make up for the British Parliament’s decision on Thursday not to join the American-led attack. Such a statement would enable the administration to argue to Congress that it has strong regional support for any potential strike. Mr. Obama was caught off guard last week when the British Parliament, in a stinging rebuke to Prime Minister David Cameron, said it would not back a strike.
One critical question that has been raised by Mr. Obama’s turnabout is what effect the delay in acting might have if force is eventually used by the United States.
Jack Keane, the former vice chief of staff of the Army, and other military experts, have argued that time can work to the advantage of Mr. Assad as the Syrian forces will have more opportunities to disperse, hunker down and move their assets into civilian areas that they know will not be struck.
By waiting for Congress, Mr. Obama risks more horrific news from Syria, which could make him look weak. Joseph I. Lieberman, the former senator from Connecticut, expressed concern on Sunday that Mr. Assad would also use the delay to protect his forces.
“While we are waiting, he is dispersing his critical assets,” he said on Fox News.
And Congress could vote down his request, which would make Mr. Obama the first president in modern times to lose a vote seeking authorization for the use of force. Also speaking on Fox News, Representative Peter T. King, the New York Republican and former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said that if a vote in the House were held today, Mr. Obama would likely lose as a result of the “isolationist wing.”
Both the House and Senate are expected to have votes sometime after they return, although Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, said he would begin hearings this week. Speaking on Saturday night, after Mr. Obama delivered his statement in the Rose Garden, Mr. Reid called a strike against Syria “justified and necessary.”
Republicans, though, seem deeply divided. Some, like the House speaker, John A. Boehner, have praised the president for seeking backing in Congress. Mr. King argues that Mr. Obama is undermining his authority as commander in chief, and said that if Mr. Obama wants approval from Congress, he should call lawmakers back to Washington for a special session.
“This is a clear failure of leadership,” Mr. King said.
