Seth McLaughlin

Sen. Chris Murphy warns Syria strike could drag U.S. into long conflict

Sen. Chris Murphy said Friday he is worried that the Syria resolution making its way through the Senate could drag the United States into a broader conflict that could last a decade.

September 6, 2013

Shadow of Benghazi clouds Obama’s Syria push on Capitol Hill

Lingering frustration over the way President Obama handled the attacks in Libya that led to death of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans has colored the debate over whether to launch military strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

September 5, 2013

Ex-Sen. Rick Santorum opposes U.S. strike in Syria

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the runner-up in the 2012 GOP presidential race, said Thursday that Congress should oppose President Obama's push for military strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

September 5, 2013

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates backs Obama’s push for Syria strikes

Robert M. Gates, a Republican who served as secretary of defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, is calling on lawmakers on Capitol Hill to back the Obama administration's plan to launch a military strike against the Assad regime, Politico reported.

September 5, 2013

McConnell’s silence on Syria creates an opening for Bevin

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has remained silent on whether he supports President Obama's calls for military strikes against Syria, saying only that he wants more information as he tries to calibrate his views with those of his colleagues in Washington and voters back home in Kentucky.

September 4, 2013

GOP’s libertarian wing sees opportunity to push for less intervention

The debate over whether the U.S. should launch airstrikes against Syria is testing the willingness of rank-and-file Republicans to get involved in another military conflict and giving the party's libertarian wing a chance to push the party toward adopting a less interventionist approach to foreign policy.

September 3, 2013

Jim DeMint still able to pull some weight among Senate Republicans

When he was in the Senate, Jim DeMint wasn't shy about trying to recruit conservatives he thought would buck the Republican Party establishment and gum up the collegial workings of the legislative process. Now on the outside, running the Heritage Foundation, the former senator from South Carolina may have even more levers to pull.

September 2, 2013

Perry touts ‘Texas miracle’ to coax businesses to move to his state

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has made explicit overtures to companies in five Democrat-led states this year, urging the employers to pick up and move to Texas, where he promises they can join the "Texas miracle" economy.

September 1, 2013

Sen. Rand Paul: Obama interested in ‘saving face’ on Syria

Sen. Rand Paul said Friday that President Obama appears to be interested in "saving face" when it comes to his pending decision on whether to approve U.S.-led military strikes against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

August 30, 2013

George W. Bush says Obama has ‘tough choice’ on Syria

Former President George W. Bush said that President Obama has a "tough choice" to make when it comes to whether to launch a military strike against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who the administration has concluded used chemical weapons against citizens.

August 30, 2013

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence calls Sen. Jeff Flake a ‘strong conservative’

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said Friday that Sen. Jeff Flake is a "strong conservative," putting him at odds with some voices in the GOP who have hammered the Arizona Republican's reluctance to embrace a government shutdown in order to stop funding for Obamacare.

August 30, 2013

Obama may go solo with Syria strike; U.S., British lawmakers voice opposition

President Obama and his top aides tried to rally support Thursday for retaliatory strikes in Syria, saying they remain convinced that the Assad regime used chemical weapons, but hopes for an international coalition took a major hit when the British Parliament voted against military action.

August 29, 2013

Sen. Ted Cruz: Congress must have say on Syria before Obama acts

Sen. Ted Cruz joined the growing chorus of lawmakers who are calling on President Obama to follow the Constitution and to call Congress back to Washington in order to debate the nation's response before he responds to the suspected chemical attacks on citizens in Syria.

August 29, 2013

U.K. PM Cameron loses Syria war vote

The British House of Commons rejected a proposal from British Prime Minister David Cameron that would have paved the way for British military action against Syria — effectively ending the nation's chances of getting involved in a US-led strike against President Bashar Assad's regime.

August 29, 2013

Cameron to skeptical Brits: Syria is not Iraq

Looking to assure the public that military action against Syria would be different from the nation's involvement in the Iraq war, British Prime Minister David Cameron told the House of Commons that it is clear the situations are different because President Obama supports military action against Syria.

August 29, 2013