Obama tasks Congress with Syria vote: 'We should have this debate'
Obama has decided to seek congressional approval for limited airstrikes on Syria to punish and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime.
As the world braced for imminent action, President Obama announced on Saturday that he had decided to seek Congressional approval before carrying out military action in Syria to punish and deter alleged chemical weapons use.
"After careful deliberation, I have decided that the United States should take military action against Syrian regime targets," Obama announced from the White House Rose Garden Saturday.
"But having made my decision..I'm also mindful that I'm the President of the world's oldest constitutional democracy," he said. "And that’s why I've made a second decision: I will seek authorization for the use of force from the American people's representatives in Congress."
The stunning decision, carried live by Syrian State television, was reportedly made by the president only on Friday evening, just hours after the White House released a declassified US intelligence assessment laying out the evidence of the August 21 nerve gas attack, and Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a call for action.
