Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Rep. ‘Buck’ McKeon: Obama can win Syria votes by undoing sequester cuts
Two key Republican lawmakers made it clear Sunday that if the White House wants their support on a strike against Syria, President Obama will have to restore funding to the U.S. military that was cut under sequestration. Published September 8, 2013
Syria, schedule have crowded out immigration debate, says top GOPer
A top House Republican who has been working on immigration said the Syria debate and a crowded congressional schedule have made it tougher to get an immigration bill through his chamber this year. Published September 6, 2013
Patriot Act’s author files court papers to stop ‘frightening’ Obama abuses
The chief author of the Patriot Act has filed court papers in support of a lawsuit seeking to stop the National Security Agency's bulk collection of records, saying that the Obama administration is going far beyond what he intended when he wrote the law in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Pentagon. Published September 6, 2013
IRS spent $10,000 to make parody of Trump’s ‘Apprentice’
The IRS has turned over another of the parody videos agency employees made with government money — this one a send-up of Donald Trump's "Apprentice" program, the House Ways and Means Committee said Friday. Published September 6, 2013
In U.S. and around world, doubts grow over attack on Syria
President Obama, traveling in Russia, struggled to make his case to skeptical foreign leaders for military strikes in Syria, while his administration faced growing opposition from Congress back home, where head counts Thursday showed his war plan in danger of being defeated. Published September 5, 2013
Syria war plan advances in Senate, pushes Obama to help rebels
Senators wrote a war plan Wednesday for retaliatory military strikes against Syria, narrowly winning committee approval for a bipartisan blueprint that would grant President Obama authority to bomb the Assad regime's chemical weapons facilities. Published September 4, 2013
Senate committee passes resolution backing strikes in Syria
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution Wednesday granting President Obama limited authority to conduct military strikes on Syria, after nearly an hour of wrestling over the details of war planning and trying to make sure the conflict doesn't spiral out of control. Published September 4, 2013
Senate-crafted Syria resolution riddled with loopholes for Obama
Senators on Wednesday tried to write a tight resolution authorizing President Obama to strike Syria under very specific circumstances, but analysts and lawmakers said the language still has plenty of holes the White House could use to expand military action well beyond what Congress appears to intend. Published September 4, 2013
Senators reach a deal on Syria that limits Obama, gives him 90 days to attack
Key senators struck a deal Tuesday night on a resolution granting President Obama the authority to conduct military strikes in Syria as long as they happen within 90 days and are limited to enforcing the administration's "red line" prohibiting chemical weapons use. Published September 3, 2013
Senators agree on Syria resolution granting Obama strike authority
Key senators struck a deal Tuesday night on a resolution granting President Obama the authority to conduct military strikes in Syria as long as they happen within 90 days and are limited to enforcing the administration's "red line" prohibiting chemical weapons use. Published September 3, 2013
Kerry holds objectors responsible for any future atrocities in Syria
Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Tuesday that members of Congress who refused to authorize retaliatory strikes against Syria would be responsible when the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad gasses its citizens or when North Korea or Iran attempts to use nuclear weapons. Published September 3, 2013
It’ll be a hard slog in Congress: Obama has ‘uphill battle’ on Syria resolution, Boehner says
Even after House Speaker John A. Boehner lent his support a resolution backing strikes on Syria, his staff said it's still going to be an "uphill battle" to get it passed through Congress. Published September 3, 2013
Hunter: Obama inviting impeachment if he strikes Syria without Congress
Rep. Duncan Hunter said Tuesday that President Obama would be breaking the law and even inviting impeachment if he went ahead with strikes on Syria after a congressional rejection. Published September 3, 2013
White House wins over top lawmakers on Syria
Making the case that the U.S. must intervene in Syria, House leaders from both sides of the aisle said Tuesday they'll back President Obama's plan for military strikes against the regime of Bashar Assad. Published September 3, 2013
Syrians use social media to tell world: See atrocities for yourself
Call it the Social Media War. As the White House pushes for retaliatory strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, some of the administration's key evidence that chemical weapons were used on civilians are the thousands of photos and videos that the rebels uploaded detailing the attack. Published September 2, 2013
Congress takes steps toward strike on Syria; recess cut short for hearings
Congress' role in approving military strikes kicks off Tuesday when Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will tell senators that the U.S. must strike at the Syrian regime to make clear that chemical weapons use will not be tolerated. Published September 2, 2013
ANALYSIS: Isolated Obama turns to Congress for support
President Obama, who unilaterally authorized a full air campaign in Libya in 2011, is taking a different approach this time with Syria — mindful both of the political price he paid for that earlier effort and of the far more thorny questions involved in attacking the Assad regime. Published August 31, 2013
Congress in no rush to return for Syria decision
Faced with the most momentous foreign policy vote in years, Congress has decided on the go-slow approach, with leaders saying they will take their time in deciding whether to approve retaliatory strikes against Syria. Published August 31, 2013
John Kerry praises French, snubs British on Syria
In laying out the case for military strikes on Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday had praise for the French, who he called "our oldest ally," but snubbed any mention of the British, who have long believed they enjoyed a "special relationship" with the U.S. Published August 30, 2013
John Kerry: Syrian regime killed 1,429 people in chemical attack
Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S. knows based on intelligence that the Syrian regime carefully prepared for days to launch a chemical weapons attack — killing 1,429 people. Published August 30, 2013
