Enough International support for military strike against Syria : White House

Washington: The US has enough international support for a military strike against Syria, a top White House official said on Sunday.
“We do have plenty of friends who are standing with us,” White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough said.

McDonough made rounds of a number of Sunday television talk shows, making a strong pitch for a US military strike as the US House of Representatives and the Senate prepares to decide on the White House request for a Congressional authorization of a military strike against Syria.

However, given the stance of several of American allies to wait for the UN report, McDonough said that the White House has indicated to its friends that it will continue to work with them and see what comes out of New York.

McDonough refuted reports that the US would work with the part of the Syrian opposition that has al-Qaeda elements in it. “I’m outraged for somebody to suggest that our people would be serving as allies to al-Qaeda,” he said.

McDonough said that the Obama administration is right now focused on Washington and trying to get congressional support for action against Syria. “We are investing a lot of time and effort in this because we think Congress should be a full partner in our national security matters, and when they are, we’re stronger as a country,” McDonough said.

“Members of Congress also need to understand that if they want to see Assad held to account for this activity, they should vote yes on the resolution,” he added.