US Congress wary of greenlighting 'Iraq 2.0'
US lawmakers will likely give President Barack Obama authority to train Syrian rebels to combat jihadists, but Democrats and many Republicans are wary of repeating America's Iraq war debacle.
Mindful of the risks of war in the Middle East, Congress will rally to an embattled commander in chief's strategy to defeat the Islamic State extremist group, but seek to keep his war powers in check.
This has led to an introspective mood in Washington, where lawmakers have only a few days before hustling home to hit the campaign trail, essentially leaving the US Capitol empty until after November's congressional election.
Republican Senator Mark Kirk reflected the mood of many, saying he supports a swift vote backing Obama's effort to train and arm vetted, moderate rebel forces in Syria as a key plank in battling IS.
But, he told AFP, "my constituents are understandably concerned about Iraq 2.0."
A chief architect of the 2003 US invasion that plunged Iraq into chaos, former vice president Dick Cheney, visited Washington this week urging Obama to get "back on offense in the war on terror."
And House Republican Peter King urged the president to brace Americans for a war that could last "10 or 15 years."
House Speaker John Boehner, who habitually clashes with Obama, struck a unifying tone by urging lawmakers to "give the president what he's asking for" on counter-terrorism measures.
But skepticism and outright resistance abounds. Who better to convey the angst over potentially triggering another war than the lawmakers who now regret voting for the Iraq invasion?
Comments