Rubio, Chambliss back Obama on Syria strikes

Republican Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Saxby Chambliss (Ga.) came out in support of President Obama for launching airstrikes in Syria on Tuesday.

“I support the President’s actions to target ISIL’s facilities in Syria,” Rubio said in a statement, using an alternate acronym for the group. “I have argued for months that President Obama has the authority to confront this threat to the United States wherever they seek refuge.”

Rubio, a possible presidential candidate, has been a leading critic of President Obama’s foreign policy, calling on him to take stronger action.

“Defeating this menace to all who value freedom and tolerance will not be easy, but is essential to our security,” Rubio’s statement continued. “My thoughts and prayers are with our men and women in uniform carrying out their duties as part of ongoing operations in Iraq and Syria.” 

Chambliss, the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he spoke by phone with Vice President Biden on Monday night.

“I commend our allies in the region for stepping up and demonstrating their commitment to the fight against ISIL,” Chambliss said.

The U.S. says the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan joined in or supported the strikes.  

“I’m hopeful these strikes directed at hard targets will result in measurable progress towards degrading ISIL’s capabilities and possibly even taking out ISIL fighters and leadership,” Chambliss continued. “As the United States moves forward with military action to defeat ISIL, we must continue to engage our allies in these efforts and work together to eliminate this dangerous cancer.”