Obama Stakes Credibility on Syria Attack

President Obama scrambled with senior advisers “to soften resistance to a military strike against the Syrian government among U.S. lawmakers and some of Obama’s most reliable global allies,” the Washington Post reports.

“Obama has staked the credibility of the United States — and his presidency — on his call for a military operation to punish the Syrian government for its alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians last month.”

“But the president faces hardening barriers in Congress, where both Republican critics and Democratic allies have voiced deep reservations or flat opposition to his proposal to intervene militarily in a predominantly Muslim nation after a decade of war overseas. Polls show that much of the American public is skeptical, too.”

New York Times: “In private, Mr. Obama and his team see the votes as a guidepost for the rest of his presidency well beyond the immediate question of launching missiles at Syrian military targets. If Congress does not support a relatively modest action in response to a chemical attack that killed more than 1,400 people in Syria, Obama advisers said, the president will not be able to count on support for virtually any use of force.”