A growing group of Republican senators lined up Wednesday to lambaste President Obama’s handling of the situation in Syria, saying his impassioned push for a limited military strike to punish Syrian leader Bashar Assad has been muddled by see-sawing objectives and diplomatic options.
Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas said Mr. Obama has not demonstrated how the use of force would advance America’s interests.
SEE RELATED:“In the case of Syria, President Obama has not offered a clear strategy or clearly laid out his objectives,” Mr. Cornyn said, adding: “Military force is like a hammer, and you can’t thread the needle that President Obama wants to thread with a hammer.”
Republican Sen. Deb Fischer said she opposes military action in Syria and that Mr. Obama failed to outline a serious plan or show how a strike would protect America’s interests.
The Nebraska freshman senator said Mr. Obama’s case is “weak” and focuses narrowly on Mr. Assad’s use of chemical weapons on Aug. 21 amid a civil conflict that has “raged for years and claimed over 100,000 lives.”
“Unfortunately, what we’ve seen from the commander-in-chief so far has been indecision, verbal gymnastics, and a reluctance to step up and lead,” she said. “This ‘pinball diplomacy’ — haplessly bouncing from idea to idea — is untenable.”
She said Mr. Obama should pursue a diplomatic solution presented by Russia to dismantle Mr. Assad’s chemical weapons supply, but retain a “tough” stance during negotiations.
“I expect the president to follow through and not let the issue fade,” she said.
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