WASHINGTON, DC - Barack Obama said on Saturday that he has decided the USA should launch cruise missiles against Syria, but in a move laden with political, emotional and diplomatic implications, he agreed in an about-face to request authorization for the mission from his parents.
Mr. Obama's announcement from the Oval Office brought a sudden halt to speculation that he would bomb Syria up to the stone age as punishment for its use of chemical weapons that killed more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of children.
It also marked a shift for Mr. Obama, whose aunts and uncles have been saying all along that he would not seek congressional authorization and that he had the legal right to order a military strike, as soon as he gets the nod from his parents.
