President Obama said Saturday he had decided to take military action against Syria in response to its use of chemical weapons, but that he will seek a congressional mandate for the action that could come "tomorrow, next week or one month from now."
Speaking from the Rose Garden, the president said he believed that he had the authority to act without Congress, but said he thinks "our country will be better off" if he had it.
"After careful deliberation, I have decided that the United States should take military action," Obama said. "I am prepared to give that order."
The president said he had spoken "with all four congressional leaders" on Saturday and that he had been assured that a debate could take place soon to authorize military action.
He said the U.S. had a moral obligation to act to show that "we do what we say" and that "right makes might and not the other way around."
He challenged lawmakers to consider "what message will we send to a dictator" if Syria's use of chemical weapons were allowed to go unpunished.
"I know well that we are weary of war," Obama said. "We ended a war in Iraq, we are ending another in Afghanistan."
"That's why we are not contemplating putting our troops in the middle of someone else's war," he said.
Obama says U.S. will take military action against Syria, pending Congress’s approval
Video: President Obama says the U.S. will take military action against Syria, but only with Congress’s approval.
President Obama said Saturday that the United States has decided to use military force against Syria, saying last week’s alleged chemical weapons attack there was “an attack on human dignity,” but that he has decided to seek congressional authorization for such a strike.
The announcement appeared to put off an imminent cruise missile attack on Syria and opens the door to what will almost certainly be a contentious and protracted debate.
Obama’s remarks came as senior administration officials were making a fresh round of calls to congressional leaders on Saturday in an effort to bolster support for a potential military strike on Syria, officials said.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were among the administration officials expected to speak to key members of Congress on Saturday afternoon, amid signs that the White House is close to ordering an attack on Syria to admonish it for its alleged use of chemical weapons last week.
“We’re continuing to weigh our options,” a senior U.S. official said. “We’re confident in our analysis that the United States and our allies can handle any contingencies that come as a result of military action should it be chosen by the president.”
Hagel, who returned to Washington on Friday night after a week-long trip to Asia, had substantive discussions while on his way home with Obama, as well as with his French and Israeli counterparts, said the official, who would discuss the administration’s efforts only on the condition of anonymity.
As key allies and members of Congress have raised concerns about and objections to U.S. military involvement in Syria’s messy civil war, the White House appears to be carefully weighing the risks of launching an attack that would likely be carried out with cruise missiles. The priority Saturday appeared to be bolstering support for the operation on Capitol Hill, where key members have expressed strong reservations and called on the White House to fully consult with Congress before authorizing a strike.
“We have a financial crisis in our military,” Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Thursday after being briefed by an administration official. “Several members agreed with me that whatever is decided upon, it’s going to take military resources that are at decreased readiness levels due to a lack of funding.”
White House officials have said they are only contemplating a limited, brief strike and have pushed back on the contention that such a move could drag the United States into a new prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
Graphic
A map of the alleged chemical attack sites in Damascus
Obama says U.S. should take military action against Syria
The president says the White House will seek congressional authorization for a strike.
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