After calling on President Obama to consult Congress over military action in Syria, Fox host Sean Hannity questioned Obama's motives after announcing he would seek congressional approval.
On the August 27 edition of his show, Hannity disagreed with conservative pundit Ann Coulter that Obama should act unilaterally in response to Syria's apparent use of chemical weapons. After Coulter commented “I don't think that the president does have to go to Congress to bomb someone” because “he's the commander-in-chief under the Constitution,” Hannity disagreed, saying that “Congress declares war”:
On August 31, Obama announced that he would ask for congressional approval before authorizing missile strikes in Syria. After the announcement, Hannity attacked Obama anyway, asking his guest Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “Why now? Is he trying to push the blame if this goes wrong onto you guys in the House and Senate?”
In his speech announcing the decision, Obama explained that his decision to seek congressional approval was based on American power being “rooted not just in our military might, but in our example as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people”:
Now, after careful deliberation, I have decided that the United States should take military action against Syrian regime targets. This would not be an open-ended intervention. We would not put boots on the ground. Instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope. But I'm confident we can hold the Assad regime accountable for their use of chemical weapons, deter this kind of behavior, and degrade their capacity to carry it out.
Our military has positioned assets in the region. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has informed me that we are prepared to strike whenever we choose. Moreover, the Chairman has indicated to me that our capacity to execute this mission is not time-sensitive; it will be effective tomorrow, or next week, or one month from now. And I'm prepared to give that order.
But having made my decision as Commander-in-Chief based on what I am convinced is our national security interests, I'm also mindful that I'm the President of the world's oldest constitutional democracy. I've long believed that our power is rooted not just in our military might, but in our example as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And that's why I've made a second decision: I will seek authorization for the use of force from the American people's representatives in Congress.