As I signaled over the weekend, I’m not clear on the best way to proceed with the poor set of options we appear to have in Syria. I’m also of mixed mind on Obama’s decision to take the question to Congress. I think there is no question that the President does not need Congress’s approval to take the action he seems inclined to take. And I’m surprised how many people now seem to think or pretend otherwise. That said, it is often wise to seek such authorization. And what we’ve seen over the last three days shows some of the perversity that grows up when Congress is not involved in questions of war and peace. Read More

The day’s main event in the Syria debate was expected to be the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing featuring Chuck Hagel and John Kerry, which gets underway at 2:30 p.m. ET (you can watch live streaming coverage here). But the day’s most consequential development turned out to be the unexpected — and unexpectedly full-throated — support for Obama’s Syria mission from John Boehner and Eric Cantor, who this morning publicly urged their House GOP colleagues to back the plan, too. More on this development from Sahil Kapur.