Obama wins Senate panel’s backing on Syria strike
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to authorize President Barack Obama to conduct a limited U.S. military operation in Syria, the first step toward congressional endorsement of the effort. Hans Nichols reports on Bloomberg Television's "Street Smart."
US President Barack Obama reacts during a press conference at Rosenbad, the seat of the Swedish government in Stockholm, Sweden, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013. US President Obama is on a visit to Sweden, ahead of the G20 summit, held in St. Petersburg, Russia. (AP Photo/ Scanpix Sweden/Jessica Gow) SWEDEN OUT
US President Barack Obama, during a press conference at Rosenbad, the seat of the Swedish government in Stockholm, Sweden, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013. US President Obama is on a visit to Sweden, ahead of the G20 summit, held in St. Petersburg, Russia. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, right, arrive for a closed-door intelligence briefing for members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, as President Barack Obama seeks congressional authorization for military intervention in Syria. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s request for speedy congressional backing of a military strike in Syria advanced Wednesday toward a showdown Senate vote, hours after the commander in chief left open the possibility he would order retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack even if Congress withheld its approval.
