Lawmakers from Texas react to Syria strike

Senator John Cornyn from Texas was on Fox & Friends Friday morning to talk about the U.S. strikes on Syria.
               
President Trump ordered the military action in response to Syrian President Bashar Assad attacking his own people with chemical weapons.

"Well it is very significant because I think it represents the first concrete demonstration of what this President's foreign policy will be.  For the last eight years we've seen President Obama drawing us back, withdrawing from the international stage but my experience is that the international community craves and really wants American leadership," Cornyn said. 

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I spoke with Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett Friday morning.  He says he can't see how anyone could watch what happened to the Syrian people and not want to strike back.  But he says we do need a plan.

"I think he did it rather impulsively.  The kind of reaction that I had at the time that 'this is horrible and we need to do something.'  But we do -- as a great military power we have to exercise our use of power with care," Doggett said.

Doggett says Trump needs to be coming to Congress with a plan.

"Not only of how we get in but how we get out and make it clear what our objectives are there before taking any further action," Doggett said.

"We know China and Russia vetoed attempts to take it through the United Nations...I don't think President Trump was left with any alternative but to act unilaterally," Cornyn said.

Austin Community College Associate Government Professor Roy Casagranda says he's open to the idea that this is the first step in solving the Syrian civil war but it's most likely a one-time deal.  He says the American people should become even more cautious of this.

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"I think that's America's gut reaction is 'we're at war, we need to rally around the President.'  'We did something that showed how macho we are, we need to rally around the President.'  I think instead it would be better if we were sort of more introspective and looking towards what our end goal could possibly be at this point.  I don't personally see how we end a civil war without getting the Syrian government to the negotiating table," Casagranda said.

Casagranda says it appears Trump doesn't have a consistent policy or map, he's just reacting -- worrisome because Syria is complicated. 

"What's happening in Syria affects our relationship with Europe, it affects our relationship with China, with Russia.  The idea that you would not have an overall strategy and that you might be just sort of reacting to things as they come your way...potentially could lead to a situation where we have an accident and accidents could lead to a World War," Casagranda said.

The Professor says domestically, it's "politics of distraction."

You've got a President with low approval ratings and suddenly we're attacking someone overseas.
               
He says it reminds him of when Bill Clinton bombed Afghanistan and the Sudan in 1998.  That was in the midst of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.