Obama seeks congressional blessing for attacking Syria (3)

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Obama seeks congressional blessing for attacking Syria (3)

(Xinhua) 13:31, September 01, 2013

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"AMERICAN PEOPLE DON'T WANT IT"

Soon after the opposition accused the Syrian government of launching a sarin gas attack on Aug. 21 in the suburbs of Damascus, Syria's capital, the Obama administration made quick efforts to build up its case on a retaliatory attack.

Obama and his administration officials said time and again that the norm regarding the use of banned weapons must be kept in place and that the al-Assad regime must be held accountable to deter others.

Britain, France and Turkey all publicly voiced their support for the military action, and tensions were heightened in the Middle East as countries took contingency measures one after another in response.

In a stunning defeat, however, to British Prime Minister David Cameron and his allies, Britain's House of Commons on Thursday rejected a government attack plan.

Though the vote is not binding, Cameron pledged not to circumvent the parliament for military action against Syria.

The Obama administration struck a defiant tone, with its officials saying Washington might take a unilateral action on its own timeline.

In its efforts to further the case, the White House on Friday released an unclassified U.S. intelligence report, which concluded with "high confidence" that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons multiple times in the last year, and that the gas attack on Aug. 21 left at least 1,429 Syrians dead, among them 426 children.

And then Obama backed down on Saturday following a meeting with his national security team.

"Our military has positioned assets in the region," Obama said in his Rose Garden statement. "The chairman of the Joint Chiefs has informed me that we are prepared to strike whenever we choose. Moreover, the chairman has indicated to me that our capacity to execute this mission is not time-sensitive; it will be effective tomorrow, or next week, or one month from now."

The Obama administration's plan to launch a military strike against Syria "is being received with serious reservations" by many in the U.S. military, which is coping with the scars of two lengthy wars and a rapidly contracting budget, the Washington Post said in a report, quoting current and former officers.

Moreover, an NBC News opinion poll released Friday showed 50 percent of American voters oppose military intervention in Syria.

While Obama was speaking inside of the White House on Saturday, an anti-war protest broke out just outside.

"There should be no war against Syria," Brian Becker, director of Answer Coalition, the organizer of the protest, told Xinhua.

"The American people don't want it. It's illegal, it's immoral, it's not right. The American people are sick and tired of war, war after war after war after war," he said.