Texas on the Potomac  Washington news with a Texas accent
Rep. Tom Rooney of Florida, who co-sponsored the bill, stated
that senior administration officials said that they can’t give
any assurance that American weapons won’t end up in the hands of
al Qaeda. Rep. Rooney believes that the President needs to prove
that arming the Syrian rebels is in America’s national security
interest.  President Obama’s press secretary, Jay Carney,
recently made a statement that the administration has
“significantly increased our assistance to the Syrian
opposition.” Carney stated that the president authorized the
expansion of assistance to the opposition, but that they will be
consulting with Congress about these matters.  The Constitution
divides the war powers of the federal government between the
Executive and Legislative branches. The President is the
Commander in Chief of the armed forces, but Congress has the
power to declare war.  After the Vietnam War, Congress passed
the War Powers Resolution to create a set o