The Senate’s second highest-ranking Democrat says President Obama made the right call by turning to Congress about a possible military strike in Syria. IPR'S Sean Powers reports.
Senator Dick Durbin says he has NOT made up his mind about whether he would support a military strike against Bashar al- Assad’s regime.
At an event over the weekend in Champaign, the Illinois Democrat says there’s no doubt Assad used chemical weapons against his own people. But before he can back a military response, Durbin wants to hear the president’s plan.
“Of course if anyone attacks the United States, there’s no question of his authority as commander and chief, but in this case we’re dealing with an atrocity which occurred within another foreign country – not an ally of the United States, and what our responsibility might be. This is new territory for a president to embark on. I can hardly think of many examples in the past quite like this. ”
Echoing what the president said, Durbin says he would not support troops on the ground in Syria.