The Hurdles That The White House Must First Face Before Launching Military Operations In Syria

President Obama on Friday. The president was harshly criticized for confessing two weeks ago that he did not have a strategy for dealing with the militants in Syria. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times

White House Faces Series of Hurdles for Military Operations in Syria -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — The White House is wrestling with a series of hurdles in preparation for military operations in Syria, including how to train and equip a viable ground force and intervene without aiding President Bashar al-Assad, people briefed on the plans said Tuesday.

As President Obama cobbles together a coalition of countries to fight the Sunni militant group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, he is also encountering tensions from would-be partners like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which are reluctant to battle ISIS too publicly.

In a prime-time address on Wednesday evening, Mr. Obama is to explain to Americans his strategy for “degrading and ultimately destroying the terrorist group,” the White House said in a statement. The people briefed on the president’s plans described a long-term campaign far more complex than the targeted strikes the United States has used against Al Qaeda in Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere.

Read more ....

My Comment: If reports tonight are true .... the U.S. is about to get involved in Syria's sectarian civil war by launching air strikes against Islamic State targets in the western part of the country. President Obama is also sticking to his guns that he has the authorization to launch such an attack ...  and that he does not need Congressional approval. In short .... the U.S. is now getting involved in another war without Congressional debate, without a vote, and without any public input or debate on the merits of such an involvement.