US senators say details needed on Syria strategy
Associated Press September 2, 2013 3:28PM
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, speak with reporters after a meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama about the ongoing situation in Syria on Monday, Sept. 2, 2013 in Washington. Obama is inviting former foe McCain to the White House, hoping one of Congress' most intractable foreign policy hawks will help sell the idea of a U.S. military intervention in Syria to a nation deeply scarred by more than a decade of war.
Updated: September 2, 2013 3:29PM
WASHINGTON — Two Republican foreign policy hawks say President Barack Obama must make a strong case for attacking Bashar Assad’s Syria if he wants to win congressional backing for the operation.
Sen. John McCain tells reporters at the White House that Obama’s intervention now will be more difficult because Assad “is moving his forces around.” Both McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham questioned the wisdom of the administration publicly signaling in advance its intention to strike.
The Republican senators, who often speak with the same voice on foreign affairs, talked in the White House driveway Monday after a private meeting with Obama.
McCain said he believes lawmakers awaiting a critical vote on Syria “must be assured that this is different from the past two years of neglect” on the part of the administration.
