This shocked me as an American: 

Congressional Black Caucus instructed to hold tongue on Syria

A look at major U.S. military strikes as ordered by the last five U.S. presidents and the degree of international support behind the actions.

RONALD REAGAN

— Beirut (1982-83): U.S. troops deployed to Lebanon as part of a three-nation peacekeeping force. Reagan ordered limited airstrikes, with France, to retaliate for 1983 bombing on military barracks that killed 299 U.S. and French troops.

— Grenada (1983): Invasion by an estimated 7,000 U.S. troops and 300 Organization of American States troops after a government coup; was condemned by Britain and the U.N. but supported by six Caribbean island nations that said it was justified under the OAS charter.

— Libya (1986): Airstrikes to punish leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime for a Berlin disco explosion that wounded U.S. 79 Americans and killed two. The U.K. supported the strikes but the U.N. General Assembly condemned them.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH

— Panama (1989): Invasion by more than 26,000 troops after dictator Manuel Noriega declared war on the U.S. for sanctions on its drug-trafficking government. A U.S. Marine was killed after Noriega declared war but before the invasion began.

— Iraq (1991): Invasion of Iraq with troops from 33 other counties to enforce U.N. Security Council resolution that ordered Saddam Hussein to withdraw forces from Kuwait.

— Somalia (1992): Deployed troops for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid mission under U.N. Security Council resolution.

BILL CLINTON

— Iraq (1993): Launched cruise missiles into Baghdad, hitting Iraqi intelligence headquarters, in retaliation for assassination plot against President George H.W. Bush.

— Somalia (1993): Increased troop deployment for security and stability mission with 35 other nations under U.N. Security Council resolution.

— Haiti (1994) Deployed troops for peacekeeping and nation-building mission as authorized by U.N. Security Council resolution.

— Bosnia (1994-96): Launched airstrikes with NATO allies over 18 months, culminating with bombings, artillery attacks and cruise missile strikes against Bosnia Serbs, by request of U.N. Secretary General Boutrous Boutrous-Ghali and to enforce no-fly zones as authorized by at least three U.N. Security Council resolutions. Deployed troops in year-long NATO peacekeeping mission.

— Iraq (1996): Launched cruise missiles at targets in southern Iraq in retaliation against attacks on U.S. jets enforcing no-fly zones to protect Iraqi minorities as authorized by U.N. Security Council resolution.

— Sudan, Afghanistan (1998): Launched cruise missiles at terrorist training camps in Sudan and Afghanistan in retaliation against U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 220 people, including 12 Americans.

— Iraq (1998): Launched cruise missiles and airstrikes on a number of Baghdad targets to punish Saddam Hussein for not complying with U.N. chemical weapons inspections as required under U.N. Security Council resolutions.

— Kosovo: (1999): Launched airstrikes and cruise missiles over more than three months at Yugoslavian military targets, power stations, bridges and other facilities as part of NATO mission.

GEORGE W. BUSH

— Afghanistan (2001): Invaded as part of NATO mission after attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. There are currently about 100,000 troops from 48 countries in Afghanistan with the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, 60,000 of them American. By the end of this year, the NATO force will be halved, and all foreign combat troops are to leave by the end of next year.

— Iraq (2003): Invaded with "coalition of the willing" of 48 nations to overthrow Saddam Hussein. As many as 160,000 U.S. troops were in Iraq at the peak of the war and all forces withdrew in December 2011 as required under a security agreement between Iraq and the U.S.

BARACK OBAMA

— Libya (2011): Launched cruise missiles and commanded initial international military operation to enforce U.N. Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire in the Libyan civil war and established a no-fly zone.

— Osama bin Laden (2011): While not an attack on a foreign nation, the raid that killed the al-Qaida leader is considered one of the Obama administration's top military and intelligence successes and was carried out without permission from Pakistan, where bin Laden was hiding.

Link fixed :0)

Actually, we used words like "tyrant," "dictator" and "idiot" to represent your impotent republican president... but I know you were just being snarky.

"Despite the request, some caucus members have felt compelled to let constituents know where they stand on an issue consuming the public's attention. 'It's my obligation to speak out and say what my thought process is,' Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., a member of the caucus and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told FP. 'I think it's important for me to step forward and make some statements. These are very personal matters.'"

No one ever said he was otherwise... except the Right (who in their defense are still missing King Bush II) Congress does NOT control the presidency either, no matter how much Boehner thinks Obama needs to ask him for permission.

I watched the weekend news shows and it seems to me the full court press for this war is backfiring on the president.  I saw one administration talking head say they didn't have solid proof but common sense proof. They want us to go to war over that?  

I also don't buy into the administration's Orwellian language of a "limited" strike.  I feel once this is on it will be all-out war.

***

We are apparently now ready to lob missiles at a country over a "common sense" guess.

The good news is that all signs point to Congress rejecting this; for once, they seem to be listening to the constituents.  I've written to all of the Congressman from my state, encouraging them to vote NO.

Assad has apparently said that if we attack, Syria will retaliate.  And they would be justified in doing so.  If a country launched missiles at us, wouldn't we strike back?  Why do we expect another country to just take it.  Syria poses no direct, imminent threat to the US.   There is no reason for us to attack them.