House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) says Obama can strike Syria without coming before Congress for approval. Hoyer’s position is simple–if diplomacy fails, Obama can strike when he thinks the time is right.
According to Bloomberg.com, Hoyer said neither he nor Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) “believe the president is required to come before Congress in this instance.” Rather, he “could act on his own.”
Hoyer believes Russia’s attempt to gain control of Syria’s chemical weapons should only be given a short window of time to succeed–“weeks” at the most. If the Russian plan does not work, he admits Congress could strengthen Obama’s hand by supporting him, although Hoyer remains steadfast that Obama can strike with or without that support.
Ironically, Hoyer believes waiting to see what happens regarding Russia and Syria can only benefit Obama and may in fact win him Congressional support by showing his willingness to hold off on attacking until all other options are considered.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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