House approval of President Obama's plan to strike Syria is in serious doubt.
On Wednesday, Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., said he believes Congressional authorization for a military strike on Syria “will fail by 20 votes,” the National Review Online reports.
Salmon, who said he has received 500 calls from constituents regarding a possible military attack with only two claiming to be in favor of an airstrike, is himself against issuing any authorization for the use of force.
“I don’t see any national-security imperative for our country at all,” Salmon said.
“Both sides in this equation are bad actors.”
Salmon cites President Obama’s inability to form an international coalition in favor of involvement and the fact that an overall objective for a missile strike has not been presented.
“Other than saving face for the president, I don’t understand what we would be doing,” Salmon said.
He also puts no credence in the claim that any military action will be short-lived.
“Nobody believes this is going to be a couple surgical strikes,” Salmon said.
Salmon’s view that a House vote authorizing the use of force in Syria will be defeated by 20 votes is kind, in the face of two whip count tallies released today.
In early whip counts taken by both CNN and the left-leaning web site, ThinkProgress, members of the House are overwhelmingly against granting Obama’s request for the use of military force in Syria.
ThinkProgress found only 46 out of a possible 289 House members said they would definitely or most likely vote in favor of military action, while 169 said they would not or most likely wouldn’t vote in favor of such a resolution.
Seventy-four lawmakers claim to be undecided.
In CNN’s whip count, 91 House members stand against any authorization while 27 support military intervention.
In both whip counts, it was clear that GOP members far outnumber their Democratic counterparts in coming out against military action.
ThinkProgress had the numbers of Republicans voting or likely voting against a move at 124 to 45 for Democrats, while CNN reported the GOP advantage at 68 to 23.
While acknowledging the President’s willingness to come to the House for authorization, Salmon is very concerned a possible Obama rejection of a “no” vote could do lasting damage to this country.
It would be the “most significant flouting of separation of powers in this nation, if this happens,” Salmon said.