The U.S. Senate’s No. 3 Republican predicts Congress will be able to deliver on President Obama’s request for funding to arm and train Syrian rebels as part of his multi-pronged approach to defeat the Islamic State terrorist group that will also include new airstrikes in conjunction with foreign partners on the ground.
Sen. John Thune, South Dakota Republican, said there are members of Congress on both sides who want to have a broader debate about the use of military force beyond training the rebels but that he believes the president will get what he wants in the near term.
“I think the president will get what he wants — he’ll have a lot of support from Republicans who think it should be broader, there are a lot of Republicans who think this should have been done sooner, but by and large [I] think you’re going to have a big, bipartisan vote in both the House and the Senate in support of the authorization which, as I said, is limited to the training of the rebels at this point,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
He said there will be some opposition, but that all things considered it will be a big vote because both sides recognize something has to be done and that countries in the region should play a part.
“If it becomes a U.S. effort, then you sow some really bad seeds for the future,” he said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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