WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell became the first congressional leader to oppose President Barack Obama on his plans to punish Syria's President Bashar Assad, whom the White House accuses of using chemical weapons against his own people.
The Republican says he will oppose Obama's resolution authorizing a military strike against Syria.
He says no vital national security risk is at play and there are too many unanswered questions about the United States' long-term strategy in Syria.
McConnell says the proposal is, quote, "utterly detached from a wider strategy to end the civil war" in Syria.
Congressional support for a strike has been weakening even as lawmakers scramble to respond to a Russian proposal to secure Assad's chemical arsenal.
