President Barack Obama has acted more like a community organizer than a commander in chief in dealing with Syria, says Republican Rep. Peter King of New York.
King backs Obama's plan to attack Syria with a limited missile strike for gassing his own people with chemical weapons, killing almost 1,500. But he thinks Obama should have acted earlier without consulting Congress.
"I wish he'd quit backing away from his own red line, and I wish he was more of a commander in chief than a community organizer," King said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
The "community organizer" label is often used against Obama because of his past experience before serving in elected office.
"Why do you say that?" host David Gregory said. "I mean, that's like a campaign line. What does that mean, more commander in chief than community organizer?"
"For one year he said this red line was there. And then the red line is crossed," King answered. "And he sends [Secretary of State John] Kerry and [Defense Secretary Chuck] Hagel out, all set to basically have an attack.
"We're told that Congress is not needed. At the 11th hour he brings in Congress. And then he says it's not his red line. Here's a person who's vacillating. I can't imagine Harry Truman or John Kennedy or Ronald Reagan or Dwight Eisenhower ever putting the nation in a position like this on military policy."
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