WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama’s request for speedy congressional backing of a military strike in Syria advanced Wednesday, Sept. 4, while he left open the possibility he would order retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack even if Congress withheld its approval. The Senate panel’s vote marked the first formal response in Congress. Secretary of State John Kerry said Assad had used chemical weapons 11 times, but until the most recent attack the president did not have a “compelling” enough case to push for a U.S. military response.
