Tom Rooney Looks to Stop Military Action in Syria

On Tuesday, U.S. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., joined up with U.S. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, to unveil a bill aimed at stopping President Barack Obama from launching military action in Syria -- including arming the various factions there -- without getting the permission of Congress.

What is the goal of providing weapons to the rebels? Rooney, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, demanded. We know that the rebels have been infiltrated by al-Qaida and some of the same people weve been fighting for the last 10 years. Senior administration officials have told me they cant give any assurance that our weapons wont wind up in the hands of al-Qaida. So whats our endgame? If the president wants to take us into Syria, he needs to come to Congress and convince us. The president needs to make a convincing case that this is in our national security interest, and he needs to lay out a clear and comprehensive mission, including an exit strategy. He hasnt done that yet.