President Obama Urges Congress to Vote Conscience on Syria, Even If Public Opposed
Sept. 6, 2013 — -- President Obama today conceded that he could fail to convince the American public to back proposed U.S. military strikes against Syria, but said that members of Congress should vote to approve the action anyway.
"It's conceivable that, at the end of the day, I don't persuade a majority of the American people that it's the right thing to do," Obama said in response to a question from ABC News during a solo press conference at the conclusion of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
But, Obama said, members of Congress need to consider the lessons of World War II and their own consciences and vote 'yes' to authorize the use of force, even if it means going against the opinion of the majority of their constituents.
"Each member of Congress is going to have to decide if [they] think it's the right thing to do for America's national security and the world's national security," Obama said. "Ultimately, you listen to your constituents, but you've got to make some decisions about what you believe is right for America."
FULL COVERAGE OF THE CRISIS IN SYRIA
A deeply skeptical public remains Obama's biggest hurdle to winning authorization from Congress to use military force against President Bashar al-Assad after he allegedly used chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war.
The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll finds nearly six in ten Americans oppose military intervention in Syria, even if chemical weapons were used by the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Obama said he will make his case directly to the American people about the need to act during a televised national address on Tuesday evening from the White House.
SYRIA SCORECARD: WHERE THE HOUSE STANDS
"When there's a breach this brazen of a norm this important, and the international community is paralyzed and frozen and doesn't act, then that norm begins to unravel," Obama said of the longstanding international prohibition against the use of chemical weapons.
"If that norm unravels, then other norms and prohibitions start unraveling, and that makes for a more dangerous world, and that then requires even more difficult choices and more difficult responses in the future," he said.
The U.S. Senate today moved ahead with plans to vote on an authorization for the use of military force, formally putting the measure on the calendar for debate by the full chamber next week. A similar measure has not yet emerged in the House, where aides have said a vote could be delayed several weeks.
Meanwhile, Obama claimed that there was a "unanimous," if private, conclusion among world leaders attending the summit that chemical weapons were used in a Syrian attack on Aug. 21 and that it required an international response. But he said deep division remained over whether any use of force should hinge on United Nations approval.
Russia, which has veto power on the U.N. Security Council, stands staunchly opposed to military intervention in Syria and has blocked all previous attempts at condemnation of Assad's tactics.
Ten countries of the 19 countries participating in the G20 today joined the U.S. in a public statement calling for "strong international response to this grave violation of the world's rules." But the signatories, which include Australia, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, stopped short of explicitly approving military force.
"I was elected to end wars and not start them," Obama said. "But what I also know is that there are times where we have to make hard choices if we're going to stand up for the things that we care about. And I believe that this is one of those times."
