“A stroll around the White House grounds with his top adviser on Friday evening changed President Obama’s mind about getting Congress to sign off on a military strike in Syria,” senior White House officials told NBC News.
“Obama had been leaning toward attacking Syria without a congressional vote for the past week… But a growing number of Congressional members were beginning to question the administration’s strategy by the end of the week. And an NBC News poll released Friday morning showed that nearly 80% of Americans agreed that the president should seek approval in advance of taking military action… Officials said Obama also was influenced by Thursday’s lively debate in the House of Commons.”