WASHINGTON, D.C.–It was an almost unanimous “no” to Pres. Obama’s planned strike against Syria from Mississippi’s Washington delegation. Most of the representatives and senators had publicly committed to a no vote by Monday evening.
The lone hold-out was Sen. Thad Cochran, who told the AP in Washington the his vote was a likely no.
Sen. Roger Wicker released a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“The President has not made a clear case about his strategic or tactical goals in making a military strike against the Assad regime,” he said. “He has not engaged in a full diplomatic effort to mobilize international opinion in responding to Assad’s use of banned chemical weapons, and proposes to enforce an international norm without any substantive support from the international community.
“Any use of military force abroad must be rooted in a coherent strategy that is worthy of our men and women in uniform and has the support of the American people. The President’s plan has not met this threshold.”
Wicker said he approached his decision-making process with an open mind.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D), who represents District 2, Tweeted earlier in the day that he had met with Obama.
“Today, I met with the President and National Security Advisor on the Syria Resolution, so many questions….,” read the Tweet. He later told the Washington AP that his would be a no vote. Thompson, a self-proclaimed “tax and spend liberal”, has traditionally supported most moves by the administration.
Rep. Steven Palazzo (R) took to Facebook to explain his no vote, “I’ve looked at the evidence, I’ve heard from the President and his advisers, and I’ve weighed the options of authorizing the use of military force. But more importantly, I’ve spoken with you, the voters of Mississippi. And you have overwhelmingly said that America needs to stay out of the Syrian conflict. I agree.”
Rep. Alan Nunnelee said he also could not go along with the action and Rep. Gregg Harper’s statement was merely to say the he would vote no.
