REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri
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In his speech, Obama said he was "ready to act," and challenged Congress to follow his lead. He maintained that he does not need to seek military approval and cited the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons that killed approximately 1,400 of its own people.
"We lead with the belief that right makes might. Not the other way around," Obama said. "Now's the time to show the world that America keeps our commitments."
While many in Congress commended the president for allowing the issue to be debated, the Syrian Deputy Prime Minister told YNetNews it was "the Syrian army's readiness [that] warded off U.S. aggression against Syria."
Although it's possible that Congress could be pulled back early, it's more likely that military action against Syria will come up for a vote the week of September 9th.