Obama to seek congressional support for Syria strike

President Barack Obama says the U.S. should strike Syria for last week’s alleged chemical weapons attack but not without congressional support.

“I will seek authorization for the use of force from the American people’s representatives in Congress,” Obama said in a public address Saturday.

Obama says as president of the world’s oldest constitutional democracy, he must lead by example.

That’s why he has spoken with congressional leadership to ensure a debate and vote are held.

The Commander-in-Chief says the intervention would not be open-ended but a limited mission without boots on the ground.

After days of deliberation, Obama has seen enough evidence implicating the government of President Bashar al-Assad for the incident that he says killed more than 1,000 people.

“I’m confident in the case our government has made without waiting for U.N. inspectors,” Obama said. “I’m comfortable going forward without the approval of a United Nations Security Council that has so far been completely paralyzed and unwilling to hold Assad accountable.”

So far, China and Russia have vetoed all U.N. resolutions sanctioning Syria.

Obama says there’s no more time for inaction.

“Here’s my question for Congress and every member of the global community, what message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price?” he said.

Amid a deeply divided public, the House is expected to take up the issue the week of September 9.

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