Corker Stands By ‘Surgical, Proportional’ Strike In Syria

Senator Corker receives a briefing on the refugee crossings at the Jordanian-Syrian border from Jordanian Brigadier General Hussein.

Tennessee Senator Bob Corker says he remains supportive of what he calls “surgical, proportional military strikes” in Syria.

As the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he was part of last night’s congressional conference call. He says in a statement he has also received classified briefings from the White House outlining intelligence about alleged chemical attacks in Syria.

But Corker says consultation isn’t enough. He suggests the administration should allow Congress to debate the merits of airstrikes in Syria. He told NPR’s Here and Now this week that a case can be made that taking action is in the national interest.

“When we see what’s happening in Syria where much of this is bleeding over into Iraq and Lebanon and other places, it creates instability over time, oil disruptions over time. Other things can happen that affect – very much – the daily lives of Tennesseans and Americans.”

Still, Corker says he opposes “American boots on the ground.”

Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper – a Democrat – tells The Tennessean he’s “extremely leery” of any involvement in Syria, even airstrikes. “We haven’t found an answer to sequestration, much less Syria,” he says.