Over the past two weeks, senior White House officials mounted the most intense bipartisan lobbying campaign they have ever conducted on Capitol Hill — with Obama administration officials speaking with more than 370 House members and at least 93 senators — to persuade lawmakers to back the president on Syria.
But according to many House and Senate members from both parties, the briefings were a flop: They raised more questions than answers and failed to persuade skeptical lawmakers to back a use-of-force resolution…
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, one of the administration’s closest GOP allies on Syria, said the briefings — and shifting messages from the White House — have been “so bad” that it makes it “really, really hard” to continue backing military force in the region. He said the administration has failed to make the case that attacking the Assad regime is in the national interest, adding that the lack of credibility the United States now has globally is “stunning.”
“Their message is just so muddled,” Corker told POLITICO Wednesday. “Different audiences, they stress different things. … They keep trying to find some footing that makes them feel good, or the audience feel good; it’s been the most muddled thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
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