- By
- JANET HOOK
- ,
- CAROL E. LEE
- and
- JULIAN E. BARNES
- CONNECT
The panel, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was moving toward a vote on the resolution Wednesday, but opposition by Mr. McCain may prompt a delay. The Arizona Republican is a strong advocate of U.S. military action against Syria.
President Barack Obama is seeking authorization from Congress to strike Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons on its citizens. Mr. McCain objects to resolution language written by a leading member of each party—Sens. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) and Bob Corker (R., Tenn.)—that narrows the version submitted by the White House over the weekend.
Under a draft of Menendez-Corker resolution released Tuesday night, Congress would set a 60-day limit for Mr. Obama to launch a military strike against Syria, with a 30-day extension possible if the president determined it was necessary to meet the goals of the resolution.
The resolution was designed to address concerns among members of both parties that the attack, which Mr. Obama has described as limited, would escalate. The draft resolution also bans the use of ground forces in Syria "for the purpose of combat operations." A number of Republicans and Democrats had said the prohibition was necessary for their support.
Mr. Menendez is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Mr. Corker is the panel's senior Republican member.
Mr. McCain's dissent is a blow to Mr. Obama's effort to build a bipartisan coalition to approve an authorization measure, a coalition that must be created across party lines in the face of stiff opposition to military action from many liberals and conservatives.
Mr. Obama was in Sweden on Wednesday for a visit with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and a dinner with Nordic leaders before heading to a G-20 summit meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, later this week.
Mr. Obama said he retains the right to order strikes against Syria even if Congress doesn't authorize them, but he is seeking approval from U.S. lawmakers because he thinks it will strengthen America's response. "We will be stronger as a country in our response [to Syria] if the president and Congress does it together," he said at a news conference in Stockholm.
Mr. Obama's push had gained momentum on Tuesday as a range of congressional leaders, including House Speaker John Boehner, urged wary rank-and-file lawmakers to back a resolution authorizing the use of military force.
Mr. Boehner (R., Ohio) said striking Syria in retaliation for President Bashar al-Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons was necessary to reassure U.S. allies of American resolve and put adversaries such as Iran on notice.
"This is something that the United States as a country needs to do," Mr. Boehner said after a White House meeting with Mr. Obama and senior members of the House and Senate. "I'm going to support the president's call for action. I believe my colleagues should support this call for action."
The No. 2 House Republican, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, echoed Mr. Boehner in supporting the president's request for a resolution of force from Congress. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), who also was at the White House meeting and will be crucial to winning needed Democratic votes, said she supported "targeted, tailored" action "of short duration."
But it remains to be seen whether there are enough votes on the Foreign Relations Committee to move the resolution to the full Senate for a vote next week. At least two Democrats on the panel—Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Mark Udall of New Mexico—expressed strong reservations during a hearing Tuesday on the measure.
Mr. McCain, who sits on the committee and holds stature among members of both parties on military matters, has been a focus of White House attention as it works to build support in Congress on Syria.
Along with his frequent ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), Mr. McCain last week said he would vote against the draft resolution submitted by the White House unless it was part of a broader strategic effort to "change the momentum of the battlefield" in Syria. After meeting with Mr. Obama at the White House Monday, Mr. McCain seemed reassured about the administration's military plans and called on colleagues to support the effort against Syria.
Meanwhile, House members are crafting resolution language that also is likely to include restrictions on U.S. military action against Syria.
A sizable faction of House Republicans, some aligned with the tea party, are skeptical of military intervention. In the House Democratic caucus, many liberals are reluctant to use military force even when proposed by a president of their own party.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are scheduled to testify at a House Foreign Affairs Committee public hearing Wednesday.
The administration faces a challenge in gaining support from two factions of lawmakers: one that says strikes would be meaningful only if they erode the Assad regime's overall military capabilities, and another that wants to place limits on the duration and scope of any strike.
Some lawmakers have come away from conversations in the White House this week convinced that Mr. Obama is contemplating a more extensive military operation than many had expected. Focusing on potential methods for deploying chemical weapons opens a path to attacks on a broad range of targets, including missiles and aircraft, which could be used in theory in a chemical weapons program.
Mr. Kerry assured senators repeatedly that the administration had no intent of putting "boots on the ground" in Syria. At the same time, he urged care in crafting limitations on military action in the congressional authorization of force, noting that situations could arise in which commandoes might need to be inserted.
—Kristina Peterson contributed to this article.Write to Janet Hook at [email protected], Carol E. Lee at [email protected] and Julian E. Barnes at [email protected]
