President Obama called Syria’s acceptance of a Russian proposal that it give up its chemical weapons “a potentially significant breakthrough” and said his “preference consistently has been a diplomatic resolution to this problem.” He said he would “absolutely” halt a US military strike if the weapons were successfully secured but was skeptical Assad would follow through on the pledge. Secretary of State Kerry described the proposed US military intervention as an “unbelievably small, limited kind of effort.” A planned Sept. 11 Senate vote on the intervention was postponed for consideration of the Russian proposal. Despite vigorous lobbying by the administration, most Americans remain opposed to intervening militarily in Syria.
