Congressman Holding Statement in Response to the President’s Announcement on Syria
Sep 1, 2013
Press Release
For Immediate Release: September 1, 2013
Contact: Lindsay Hamilton, 202-225-3032
Congressman Holding Statement in Response to the President’s Announcement on Syria
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman George Holding released the following statement in reaction to the President’s press conference regarding military action in Syria. He will be returning to Washington today for a classified interagency briefing with White House officials.
"Recently, explaining why we should attack Syria, the Secretary of State talked about the importance of international law. The President, in his Rose Garden speech, talked about 'limited military action' and a 'no boots on the ground' strategy.
But one hard fact is that limited military actions have spun out of control before. And another hard fact is no one knows the consequences of an attack on Syria. And we'd be foolish to ignore the risks.
Further, it is unclear how the President’s ‘limited strike’ will serve as a deterrent to future action by an Assad regime that has already proven they will stop at nothing – including the slaughter of its own men, women, and children – to retain power.
Under the Constitution, the right to declare war lies with Congress, and dress it up anyway you want, a military attack on a foreign country is an act of war. The decision to attack Syria boils down to a series of blunt questions: What abiding American interest makes an attack on another country unavoidable? Is there a justification for putting American lives in danger? What are the consequences of an attack? We are now rightly going to debate these questions in Congress and, before I can consider voting for any military action, I am going to have to hear some convincing answers.”
Under the Constitution, the right to declare war lies with Congress, and dress it up anyway you want, a military attack on a foreign country is an act of war. The decision to attack Syria boils down to a series of blunt questions: What abiding American interest makes an attack on another country unavoidable? Is there a justification for putting American lives in danger? What are the consequences of an attack? We are now rightly going to debate these questions in Congress and, before I can consider voting for any military action, I am going to have to hear some convincing answers.”
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