WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are criticizing President Obama's plan to dispatch up to 50 U.S. special operations forces to Syria to help local fighters battle the Islamic State.
Democrats on Friday said the move was being made without a clear U.S. strategy in Syria. And they said it's even more essential for Congress to debate and vote on a new authorization for the use of military force. Obama is relying on war powers given to President George W. Bush after 9/11.
The White House says the troops are not on a combat mission, but Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy and others say sending the troops is a major shift in policy that puts the United States on a potentially dangerous downward slope into a civil war with no end in sight.
