On Tuesday, Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor expressed their support of President Barack Obama's call to action against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons against rebel forces and civilians, according to the New York Times. With two leading House Republicans on board, Obama may find it a bit easier to garner support from other House members of the GOP.
“Understanding that there are differing opinions on both sides of the aisle, it is up to President Obama to make the case to Congress and to the American people that this is the right course of action, and I hope he is successful in that endeavor,” Mr. Cantor said in a statement.
Mr. Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., summoned Mr. Boehner and other Republican and Democratic leaders to the White House as he intensified his push for Congressional approval of an attack on Syria. Conservative House Repubicans have expressed deep reluctance about the president’s strategy, and winning Mr. Boehner’s approval could help the president make inroads with a group thta has not supported him on most issues in the past …
For Mr. Obama, who leaves on Tuesday evening for a three-day trip to Sweden and Russia, it is the next phase in a White House lobbying campaign that will have to extend beyond hawks like Mr. McCain to persuade lawmakers who are reluctant to get involved militarily in Syria.
Read more at the New York Times.
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