Obama seeking lawmakers' OK for Syria strike
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama says he has decided that the United States should take military action against Syria in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack.
But he says he will seek congressional authorization for the use of force.
He says congressional leadership plans to hold a debate and a vote as soon as Congress comes back in September.
Obama says he has the authority to act on his own, but believes it is important for the country to have a debate.
Military action would be in response to a chemical weapons attack the US says Syrian President Bashar Assad's government carried out against civilians. The US says more than 1,400 Syrians were killed in that attack last week.
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US President Barack Obama pauses while speaking to reporters about Syria during a meeting with Baltic leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington August 30, 2013. [Photo/Agencies] |
