Obama seeks congressional blessing for attacking Syria (2)

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"AN ENORMOUS GAMBLE"

Obama's announcement came a surprise and some see it as a gamble.

"The timing of an authorization vote is now up in the air, as well as its outcome," the Politico website said.

"President Obama's decision to ask Congress to authorize military strikes represents an enormous gamble for the White House that could have lasting repercussions for presidential power," said The Hill, a congressional newspaper.

"It is by no means clear that the (Republican-dominated) House will approve military action against Syria, given opposition both from conservatives and liberals in the House," the paper noted on its website.

The lawmakers are currently on a five-week summer break and will not return to session until Sept. 9. And Obama has no intention to bring them back early.

"Though many lawmakers praised the fact that the president would now seek their backing for military intervention in another Middle Eastern country, some speculated that the vote might fail -- and still others said Obama seemed weak for seeking their stamp of approval," the Politico wrote in an article.

Ranking Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who have advocated deeper U.S. involvement in Syria's conflict, said they cannot "in good conscience" support isolated military strikes not part of a broader strategy that would "change the momentum" on the ground and oust President Bashar al-Assad.

The White House on Saturday evening sent Congress a draft resolution that authorizes a U.S. military action against the Syrian government and seeks only to "deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade the potential" for future uses of chemical weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.

Marco Rubio, an influential Republican senator, also said "the United States should only engage militarily when it is pursuing a clear and attainable national security goal. Military action taken simply to send a message or save face does not meet that standard."

Republican senator Ron Johnson said if a vote were held right now, it would fail. He said: "Right now there are far too many questions unanswered."

During a telephone briefing for the Congress leadership on Thursday evening, the lawmakers pressed senior administration officials about a range of issues, including how military operations in Syria would be funded.

The officials offered no answer, but Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel agreed it was an important question and pledged to provide additional information before or soon after any attack is launched.

"If all this is about because President Obama drew a red line and he's concerned about his credibility and restoring his credibility, that's not enough justification for me," Senator Johnson said.

Credibility gap is just what many analysts say a factor in driving Obama to a military confrontation with Syria.

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