U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, joins other members of Congress in hesitantly approving President Barack Obama’s decision to diplomatically disarm Syria rather than initiate a military intervention.
“Well I do believe that this proposal is better than executing a poorly thought out and foolishly telegraphed plan that is doomed to fail," Sen. Cornyn said of President Obama’s address. "I think it is worth seeing this thing to a conclusion.”
Several other Texan lawmakers also oppose military strikes in Syria. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argues that a military strike in Syria is not in the best interest of U.S. national security. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, similarly agrees with the president’s decision to pursue a diplomatic resolution. The decision to initiate further military action in the Middle East is a challenging issue for the American public on the whole.
While Cornyn is pleased that Obama has tabled military intervention, he is still unsatisfied with projected American strategy. “I am very dubious about trusting our national security interests, as well as the safety and security of the Syrians, to the tender mercies of Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad,” he said in a conference call today. Russian president Putin is currently suggesting that al-Assad surrender chemical weapons in exchange for maintaining power in Syria.
However, Cornyn is not completely ruling out military action. “I am not suggesting that I would never vote for an authorization, because I would under the appropriate circumstances.”
