TOUGH SELL

Lawmakers Skeptical of Syria Strike

Many want narrower scope.

President Obama will have to do his best to sell Congress on a Syria strike over the next week, with many lawmakers expressing skepticism after a classified briefing yesterday. Eighty-three lawmakers took a break from their holiday weekend to listen to the administration's case for military strikes, but afterward lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said military authorization would have to be far less open-ended than what Obama is proposing. Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsay Graham, meanwhile, said the proposal was too limited already and criticized Obama for asking Congress' approval in the first place. Congress is expected to start debating strikes in earnest once they're back from vacation on Sept. 9.