Syria war

MOST MEMBERS OF CONGRESS STILL UNDECIDED ON SYRIA STRIKE

 

 

4 of 5 local Congressional members not sure yet how they will vote; both CA Senators support military intervention

By Miriam Raftery

September 4, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Three days ago, NBC news reported that San Diego’s Congressional delegation had “mostly positive” reactions to news that President Obama had decided to ask Congresss for approval before waging a military air strike on Syria.  But a  poll by CNN of Congressional members found San Diego’s representatives remain mostly undecided on whether to vote for war or not.  Both California Senators, however, support the President’s call for military action.

Overall, the CNN poll found the majority in both houses of Congress have not yet committed how they will vote.  In the Senate, 24 Senators say that they will support the war declaration, 16 will oppose it, and 58 remain undecided. In the House, 27 support going to war, 91 oppose, 254 are undecided, and the positions of 61 others are unknown.

This is a rare issue in which the vote does not split down party lines. Both parties are split, with many members on each side of the weighty issue appearing ready to vote their consciences or the will of their constituents, not a party preference.


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WAR WITH SYRIA: SHOULD THE U.S. LAUNCH AN ATTACK?

 

Senate committee approves military strike; full Congressional authorization still needed to launch war

By  Miriam Raftery

September 4, 2013 (Washington D.C.) – Should the U.S. attack Syria? What are the potential remifications for the U.S. and the world?  What are the key issues and arguments on all sides of this compelling questions -- and where do your representatives stand?

President Barack Obama has asked Congress for approval to launch a military air strike against Syria amid indications that the Syrian president  used chemical weapons against civilians in his own country, including children.  Today, the Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee voted 10-7 to approve limited authorization. Chairman John Kerry said there is "no question" that Syria used chemical weapons in violation of international law. The full Senate and the House of Representatives must both approve the action.

In the interest of providing our readers with a variety of views and information on this important issue, we’ve rounded up articles from around the world and across the nation in our special section below. Click any headline to view full text of these articles. We've even included "9 questions about Syria you were too embarassed to ask" for those who haven't kept up with the news on this emerging world crisis. 

Syria news stories:


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.