Orlando Sentinel - Local Lawmakers Have Mixed Response to Syria Airstrikes

News Article

By Scott Powers

Florida's U.S. senators expressed bipartisan support Tuesday for the U.S. airstrikes on the Islamic State in Syria, while the reaction of Central Florida's U.S. representatives was mixed.

Sens. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Republican, both said they stand by President Barack Obama's decision to send missiles and bombers against Islamic State targets in Syria on Monday night.

U.S. Reps. John Mica, R-Winter Park, and Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, also expressed support, while U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, and U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, said they were opposed. U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Winter Garden, did not respond Tuesday and has not released statements on the action.

Nelson, who last week pushed unsuccessfully for congressional authorization for airstrikes against Syria, said Tuesday that Obama did not need such authority for the short term but that eventually Congress must authorize military force.

"This is not going to be a strike for just a few days; this is going to be a long-term deal. It's going to be probably years. But we have no choice. This is a vicious, diabolical group that must be stopped," Nelson said in a written statement.

Rubio said he has argued for months that Obama had authority to attack the Islamic State.

"Defeating this menace to all who value freedom and tolerance will not be easy, but is essential to our security," Rubio stated Tuesday in a news release.

But Posey expressed strong concerns that the United States has unpredictable allies for the attacks, and he is unclear about any final goals.

Posey said he was concerned "about our sons and daughters" in uniform.

"I think before you deploy them, you need to have a plan. You need to know what victory looks like," Posey said.

Grayson questioned the need for the United States to get involved at all.

"If the Iraqis and the Syrians won't protect themselves from ISIS, then we should not go to war to protect them from ISIS," Grayson stated. "There are far more practical ways to defend ourselves, we are not using sufficient force to defeat ISIS, and there is no exit strategy."

Last month Mica accused the administration of intelligence failures for not anticipating the ISIS threat and responding sooner. On Tuesday he said he has information suggesting that it was a leadership, not intelligence problem, and thinks the United States could and should have attacked sooner.

Still, he backs Obama.

"The president, regardless of party, is our commander in chief," he said. "I support the action. I strongly support the action."

Brown said she supported Obama's leadership in building the international coalition. Now the United States and the coalition "must do everything necessary to degrade and destroy this terrorist organization," she stated.