PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) Sen. Tim Kaine, a political ally of President Barack Obama who cast a subcommittee vote Wednesday for military strikes on Syria's government, said Obama should heed the will of Congress should it vote against military intervention.
Speaking to a Virginia State University ROTC class Thursday, the Democratic senator defended his support for the president's call for strikes that would punish Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime for its suspected use of chemical weapons Aug. 21 in a rebel-held suburb of Damascus and deter Assad or others from using them in the future.
"The mission is very clear, but the question is could there be unintended consequences, and that's a legit question," Kaine told reporters after his appearance at VSU.
"The mission is there's got to be a consequence. We've got to punish Assad and deter his ability to use chemical weapons again, both for Assad's sake and for others," Kaine said. "Does the military have the ability to carry out that mission with no risk that there will be any negative consequences? Obviously there's no guarantees."
But he said he believes the Constitution demands the president seek congressional approval to hit Syria. There are times when presidents may order military responses when emergencies dictate immediate action and there is no time to consult Congress beforehand, he said.