Bobby Jindal skeptical about case for Syria strike
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has joined a growing chorus of prominent Republicans who remain skeptical about President Barack Obama’s call for launching a military strike against the Syrian government.
When reached by Yahoo News through a spokesman, Jindal, a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, raised questions about the effectiveness of a U.S. attack on Syria.
“The president is asking for authority he admits he does not need, to do something that he ensures us won’t have much effect, in order to produce an outcome he refuses to define,” Jindal told Yahoo News in an email. “I’m always open to hearing the president make his case, but he hasn’t even tried thus far.”
The Obama administration has accused the Syrian government of waging chemical warfare against its citizens, and has called for a “limited” U.S. military attack on Syria to discourage future use of such weapons.
Obama will have an opportunity to make that case to the public this week. The president has scheduled a series of interviews with national news outlets on Monday night, and he will address the nation in a rare televised address from the White House on Tuesday.
Like Jindal, many of the Republicans who appear to have shown interest in launching a presidential bid — Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas; former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania; Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan; and Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Scott Walker of Wisconsin — have either expressed opposition to the president’s plan or remained mum about the possibility of an attack . None has shown outright support.
Members of the Obama administration have spent the past several days urging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to provide congressional approval for a strike. Despite the administration’s efforts, many lawmakers continue to express opposition to the plan.
The House and Senate are expected to vote on a strike authorization resolution within the next week.
