part of your weekend. this is a fox news alert. i'm brett bier in washington. this is a fox news alert. in an announcement that stunned his own cabinet, and leaders around the world, president obama says he has the authority to launch a military strike against syria. and that he has decided it is the right thing he will not pull the trigger until congress has its say. he also held out the option that he could proceed without approval from u.s. lawmakers. this hour, what else this might

mean. in our middle east newsroom, mike emanuel on capitol hill. we begin with chief white house correspondent. we begin with a big change. top aides say this was the president making the call on his own. it could fail in congress. it could give assad even more time to gas more people which is why the change of heart did not sit well we ever one on the president's team. >> president obama made two dramatic decisions friday. first early in the day when aides say he decide in the private, the u.s. should move forward with military action to respond to the horrific chemical weapons attack in syria. yet later on friday night, the president decided to throw his staff a curveball and overrode his entire national security team by slowing the timetable for that action down. >> 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. >> aides say just after 6:00 p.m., the president went for a walk on the south lawn. without any of his war cabinet there like secretary of state john kerry and defense secretary chuck hagel, the president first mentioned to mcdonagh the idea that he should go to both chambers of commerce even though they do not return to work. senior official acknowledge there was some division within the administration as the president held a two-hour oval office meeting at 7:00 p.m. and then placed calls later to kerry, hagel and biden. kerry had gone out on a limb and called for action. the senior officials insist kerry and the entire team came together in support of the plan in a meeting saturday morning. they want congressional buy-in. >> that i know the country will be stronger if we take this course and our actions will be even more effective. >> while the president called all four of the top

congressional leaders. mitch mcconnell only staying president's role as commander in chief is always strengthened when he enjoys the express support of the congress. with polls showing the american public does not want more intervention than syria, in private, officials say they know there is a risk the votes may fail. the president hinted co-take action any way. >> we cannot and must not turn a blind eye to what happened in damascus. in a world with many dangers, this menace must be confronted. >> except the president's second decision means it is longer until that menace will be confronted. >> this is absolutely stunning. i've been trying to fill in the blank. barack obama is the weakest president since -- >> that was only reinforced moments after leaving the rose garden heading out for a golf match together. >> aides i'm told are currently drafting the language of the actual congressional authorization. i'm also told it will be for the

use of military force, not a formal deck la vague of war. >> and live on the north lawn. thank you. much of the international community has reservations about any u.s. military move. syria insists the evidence against the regime is fabry indicated. russian president vladimir putin said before president obama's announce pmt the u.s. case is utter nonsense. and an attack would be a gross violation of international law. chief washington correspondent james rosen is at the state department tonight where he has new information about the terms of the president's consultation with congress. good evening, james. >> good evening. a senior state department official will me today that the president's doigs use force in syria is in no jeopardy of being overturned by the voting congress that the president has requested for the week after next. rather the aide made clear, the strikes will go forward even if congress rejects the use of force. that the aides said was the point of the president's speech, containing the lag language did it in which he asserted his

legal right. other senior officials outside of this building weren't confirming that. only telling reporters as our ed henry just related, the door is being kept open for that. yet secretary kerry, aides said, was still able to call the syrian opposition president. after probe had spoken to reassure the rebel leader the u.s. remains committed, quote, to holding the assad regime accountable for its attack. the syrian coalition urges the international community to undertake comprehensive and robust military intervention that will significantly reduce the capacity of the syrian regime to inflict suffering on its own people and send a clear message that the use of chemical weapons will not be tolerated. president obama made clear, he had not given up his view that can be accomplished. >> 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.

privately we've heard many expressions of support from our friends. i will ask those who care about the international community to stand publicly behind our action. >> meantime, the u.n. chemical weapons inspection team arrived safely in the netherlands. their final report is expected to take tweaks compile. today a u.n. official denied it was choreographed to coincide with u.s. military planning. >> frankly, that's grotesque. and it is also an affront to the more than 1,000 staff, u.n. staff who are on the ground in syria delivering humanitarian aid and who will continue to deliver critical aid. >> late tonight, the obama administration put out a statement saying that the president of france, the former colonial power in syria and the only european nation that had expressed willingness to join in the campaign, had told president obama in a telephone call today, and that president obama agreed

that the international community, quote, must deliver a resolute message to the assad regime. that those who violate this international norm will be held accountable by the world. unquote. >> james rosen live at the state department. thank you. so congress now becomes a major part of the equation but it appears we'll have to wait more than a week for them to come back from 58ization. as chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel tell us, that is now proving to be a bone of contention. >> after bipartisan house members sent a over there president obama asking to call them back for an emergency session and complaints of a lack of specifics from the obama administration:00 get to debate military action in syria. and some like texas republican senator ted cruz say it is about time. and the president must make his case. >> i am troubled by the justifications the obama administration has put forth. in my view, u.s. military forces

justified only to protect the vital national security interests of the united states. >> the florida senate said he supports the president. as far as i'm concerned, we should strike in years why today. new york house republican peter king blasted the decision to wait for congress to act, saying, quote, president obama is abdicating his responsibility as commander in chief and undermining the authority of future presidents. the president does not need congress to authorize a strike on syria. the chair of the house subcommittee on the middle east says the president's red line rhetoric means the u.s. must launch strikes. >> we've set the standard now that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable. we've used that as the standard. so you have to act when somebody uses them. >> the chairman of the armed committee reiterated his call for an international coalition saying it is important that the president is seeking support and participation from other countries, including arab countries. republican senators john mccain

and lindsey graham say they cannot in good conscience support isolated military strikes that are not part of a broader strategy, leading to bashar al assad's removal from power. last night mccain laid out the how the u.s. could hammer syria without u.s. boots on the ground. >> i would crateter runways. the six air fields. six runways. i would crater them. prevent him from using his air power. i would get the weapon to the people who are fighting and dying as we speak. >> reporter: ohio congressman mike turner said he is a no vote on military action until mr. obama removes the burdens of sequester rags from the military. that illustrates what a difficult accept it is setting up to be on capitol hill with funding the debt ceiling and addressing intelligence laws. >> our special saturday edition of special report continues in a moment. up next, we'll go live to the middle east. ♪

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>> stunt would be putting the reaction to president obama's announcement. there was a feeling here and around the region that syria, for that matter, iran, and the united states were eye to eye and president obama blinked. with threats of regional war looming, syrian state tv and every israeli television channel took president obama's speech live. at the end, israeli commentators seemed almost speechless. it is a matter of confidence, this israeli remarked. continuing to the countries in the middle east, he seems incapable of taking action. a sentiment echoed by the syrian who's declared victory. syrian state tv broadcast damascus residents celebrating in the streets.

they are looking for gas masks. israelis lined up for hour to get gas masks because syria promised to strike tel aviv if attacked. prompting the israeli air force to deploy their air defense system. i think obama has no desire to act, this analyst said on israeli tv. declaring the crisis over before the conversation turned to the nuclear program. an issue president obama in effect laid down a red line on as well. but the lack of action on weapon has israelis wondering what red lines really mean. iran's close ally, syria, made it clear what they now think. the american administration said syria's deputy prime minister has made a joke of itself. saying that president obama

would like to be taken seriously, perhaps while congress is debating military action in syria, she ask for authorization to attack iran if necessary. he was only half joking. back to you. the u.s. military has five destroyers in the mediterranean sea now. armed with tomahawk missiles. national security correspondent jennifer griffin has that part of the story. >> reporter: as the president stepped back from the brink, he quoted advice from the martin dempsey who has been the most reluctant member of the national security team to urge u.s. military involvement in syria. >> 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. however, the chairman indicated to me 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. >> now assad regime knows it has another ten days to prepare. already there have been times this week that the syrian military was removing armaments from bases and hiding potential targets. the regime will scud missiles are mobile. pentagon officials say the delay adds to the complexity of their mission but the delay is still manageable. what a difference a day makes. secretary of state john kerry sounding presidential as he made the case for military action left little doubt in the minds of most that a strike was imminent. >> so that is what we know. that's what the leaders of congress now know. that's what the american people need to know. and that is that the core of the decisions that must now be made for the security of our country and for the promise of a planet, where the world's most heinous

weapons must never again be used against the word's most vulnerable people. >> at the pentagon, relief given about the level of indi decision coming from the white house. >> i think all of my contacts in the pentagon, that they are breathing a huge sigh of relief. they are still incredulous about the decision making process. but i think they're all relieved that we backed off a little bit and are taking a more strategic, rather than a tactical look at striking syria. >> in the wake of the president's decision to wait, fox news has learned that the head of the free syrian army is drafting a over there general martin dempsey which will address the u.s. concern about who the on that significant is and that they are on the side of democracy. >> live at the pentagon. thank you. still ahead, the fox all-stars dissect today's

developments. first, the decision to attack but to wait for congressional approval, and what message that is sending on the ground. add do" and i say, "yes. you really do." [ sniffs ] just toss downy unstopables in before the wash. then pour downy infusions right in here for scented softness that helps reduce pilling, fading, static, plus fresh scents that last up to 12 weeks. that's as long as bears hibernate. sure, you could go without it, but do you really want to be that person? downy unstopables and downy infusions in every wash. you'll be unstopable. it's been a happy union. he does laundry, and i do the cleaning. there's only two of us... how much dirt can we manufacture? more than you think. very little. [ doorbell rings ] [ lee ] let's have a look, morty. it's a sweeper. what's this? what's that? well we'll find out. we'll find out. [ lee ] it goes under all the way to the back wall. i came in under the assumption that it was clean. i've been living in a fool's paradise! oh boy...

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into the syria situation. back with us tonight is el let's go more in depth into the syria situation. back with us tonight is elizabeth, a senior research analyst for the study of war where she focuses on syrian politics and security and is in contact with the syrian rebels. and joining us, fox middle east and terrorism analyst. thank you both for being here. elizabeth, first to you. i know you're headed back to syria this week. and you had a conversation today with the head of the rebels, the general, by skype. what can you tell us?

>> i think there is a lot of disappointment. they felt like the u.s. specifically but the international community has a whole has let them down in terms of what they expected and in terms of standing by what they believe is right. in terms of stopping a brutal dictator who is using not only chemical weapons but a wide range of weapons against its own people. >> there is the sense, obviously, about the political situation surrounding all of this. with the british parliament voting against it. now the president turning to congress to have a vote. how is all of that being interpreted on the ground by the rebels as you talk to the general? >> unfortunately for many people, they see this as part of a larger conspiracy them believe the u.s. has chosen to support assad and support his allies, and are no longer stwang the syrian people. in many ways, these conspiracy their business have been floating for quite some time now but are being seen as actualized to a certain degree. >> the president, i'm sorry, the general is going to draft a letter to the chairman of the

joint chiefs. jennifer griffin reported that. what is that all about? >> i think that the entire military council as well as the national coalition headed are looking to address the u.s. government head on. from the general's perspective, he wants to take it as military commander to military commander and explain the dynamics in a way that could help facilitate military action in the future. >> looking at the future overall, how do you think it would play out. what do you think president assad takes from this? >> already the iranian regime, the leadership from hezbollah and parts of the politicians in iraq, they are on notice that there will be a strike. they are preparing for war. even now or later. but at the same time, they had a feeling that president obama wants to have more support. when he saw what happened in london, the legislative branch,

he would like to make sure the congress is behind them. that has been perceived by that axis as a sign of weakness. now civil society forces in syria, other than the opposition. people struggling democratically and in other countries are very nervous. they feel that if that asking you will go to congress, to this legislative branch. and they have noted many lawmaker are against any sort of intervention. this would back fire. there would be no u.s. intervention. so you have those with reactions. >> but to hear secretary kerry yesterday. he said that inaction would send a message to iran and other actors throughout the middle east. do you agree with that? >> i do agree. as a matter of fact, both secretary kerry and the president, you know, developed a good step. but there is a rick that it could go in different directions. the good direction or in a bad direction. now that the president pushed back this discussion to congress, he would like congress to guarantee and certify that

they will support this specific step. but there is a risk. if he only gets a green light for this step, it means he won't get a green light for a much wider step. hence the nervousness inside syria. >> there is also nervousness in the american public about getting involved in another war. with the potential to showed that to something bigger. do the rebels, and i know there are these various groups. but overall the free syrian army and others, do they understand that? the predicament about the american people not supporting it in quoting the poll? and how much does time matter for them right now? >> i think right now, they're in a critical position. they were expecting a u.s. air strike. and to that degree, they had planned their operations along the lines of that expected strike. so you see them scrambling to readjust and reset some of their operations and their campaign priorities. to the degree that they understand what the american

public it'sing, i think there is some sense that the american public is war weary and doesn't want to get involved in another middle eastern conflict. to that they're grateful because they don't want to see the u.s. rush in. they really feel like the american people should be standing up for them right now. because they are standing up for the same principles and values they believe the american people are standing up for. >> do you feel that this time is potentially really dangerous for the rebels in that president assad, while we talked last time, you said he is not winning. but could this turn the tide? this delay, whatever it is? >> you know, i think we are seeing already an increase in government actions. immediately after president obama's speech which was aired in syria on state tv with full translation, there is an uptick in regime operations. you begin to see an immediate downer offensive against some of these positions. and as i said, they were planning on attack and they had

a counter for that accordingly. in some ways they were put on the back foot. >> the final word here. in the big picture, if congress comes back and says no, we've reported that the president could still launch some attack, allow limited in scope. he's talked about the limited in scope part many times. the message that sends in the middle east, what do you think the end result is? >> you're right. the president, the administration is only prepared for the strike. both in syria but also has to lead the clash with iran. the heavy and others. let me say one thing that is crucial. i speak with many. they are not known by our public. when we debate in congress, we don't who know are these people. so they need to do a better job in reaching out to the american public. >> thank you both very much. good luck on your trip to syria and please keep us in the loop.

up next, keeping up the homeland secure in troubled times. we'll see how official here at home guard against retaliation when the u.s. takes whatever military action may be coming. ♪

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did you notic how clean it looks? morty are you listeng? morty? [ morty ] i'm listening! i want you to know. special edition of "special report." the big headline is president obama has made up his mind that welcome back. the big headline, president obama said he has made up his mind that hitting syria is the right thing to do in the wake of chemical weapons used. but he is going to let congress have its say first. >> 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 am 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 the government of the people, by the people and for the people.

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. >> our chief washington corporate, james rosen, is reporting that the state department official says the president will pull the trigger even if congress does not give him formal authorization. other senior administration officials are not going that far. instead saying that is an option. and the president has the authority. the president made the announcement this afternoon, citing the recent chemical weapons attack that left more than a thousand dead in and around damascus as he said, a menace the world cannot ignore. any time the u.s. makes a military move or even considers it, precautions are taken here at home. in case it becomes stronger than anti-war protests. retaliation, violent retaliation is always a concern. chief intelligence correspondent katherine harris tell us how the people who guard the homeland

are gearing up. >> reporter: a joint bulletin from the homeland security department and the fbi was single out earlier this week to alert federal, state and local law enforcement about the possible belowback from a limited military strike. an administration official said homeland security, quote, is closely following the situation and actively collaborates and shares information in the face of constantly evolving threats. if there is a response from syrian president assad, his ally iran o'hezbollah analysts predict it will be an asymmetric response. a cyber or terror attack which does not involve directly confronting tuesday. >> you can imagine possible threats against airliner, possible threats against anything from what hezbollah did bulgari bulgaria. >> that's a reference to the suicide attack last sum cher killed six and injured 32. military analysts also pointed this week's denial of the

service attack. as a likely probing incident designed to test the system. >> what you see is an increase in cyber attacks. you already have the organization with servers out of russia launch cyber attacks against multiple news organizations. >> with the conflict escalating, and increasingly seen as part of the jihad, the fbi director explained in a recent interview the bureau's foerks on westerner, speckly american passport holder, who are joining the fight and could launch terrorist attacks on u.s. soil. >> one of the concerns i think we all have at this juncture, a person is traveling to years. i can't gaining expertise. >> bringing it back to this country, bringing it back to europe. >> have you seen documented case of american citizens traveling from this country to syria and then coming back? >> yes. at least one indictment that i have in my mind.

but others if we have not yet indicted, we may face charges down the road. >> the official are pushing back against a report that the bureau is already interviewing syrians living in the u.s. but not denying step are being taken in the event the u.s. is drawn by choice into the syrian conflict. president obama says he is ready to do battle in syria. first, congress will do battle over the decision. a debate and a vote. the fox all-stars join me to talk about it. ttress until you visit a sleep number store. once you experience it, there's no going back. oh, yeah! at our biggest sale of the year, every bed is on sale. queen mattresses now start at just $599. and through labor day only, save 50% on our limited edition memory foam mattress sets. only at a sleep number store. sleep number. comfort individualized.

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i will seek authorization for the use of force from the american people's representatives in congress. while i believe i have the authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorization, i know that the country will be stronger if we take this course and our actions will be even more effective. >> a stunning announcement today in the rose garden. the press saying it is the right move to strike in syria but he wants to get congress' authorization before doing so. the senior administration officials tell us that he made that dig completely turning around the recommendations and the policy that was in place last night. after a walk on the south lawn with his chief of staff, white house chief of staff, denis mcdonough. apparently he walked for 45 minutes and came to this conclusion. this after secretary of state john kerry presented a forceful case yesterday. >> and it matters deeply to the

credibility in the future interests of the united states of america. history will judge us all extraordinarily harshly if we turned a blind eye to a dictator' wanton use of weapons of mass destruction against all warning, against all common understanding of decency. and that is that the core of the decision that's must now be made for the promise of a planet and the world's most heinous weapons must never again be used against the world' most vulnerable people. >> the president met with his national security team in the situation room and official are telling us, there was division within the administration about his decision. and you can kind of read some of that on some of those faces in that room. with that, let's bring in our

panel. steve hayes, columnist with the. charles? >> it is rather astonishing. we heard yesterday from the secretary of state, as you showed in the clips, that apparently what is at stake here is the children of syria. innocents around the world and the security of the united states. decency and an international norm against the use of weapons of mass destruction. all of that is at stake. and we have to act or as he said, history will judge us harshly. any president who come out the next day who says, well, fine, i'll do it but i'll wait until congress tends vacation, has the barbecues on monday. we'll give it a week and even if it is a month, who know? we'll have a debate and i'll make the case. then everything off and plays golf. on tuesday everything off to sweden and the g-20 in russia. this is a declaration of

unseriousness. a red line six months ago. >> a area ago. >> the year ago and then six months ago. he ignores it. it happens again and he blufters. the secretary of state states all of it. then he goes off and plays golf. in the region, you show the foreign secretary of syria, the deputy who said obama is a joke. and i think that is the way it is being read by enemies of the u.s. and unfortunately, by the friends who remain, whose lives hinge on america's word. and now see a president riddled with indecision. what is obviously retreat. >> one, obviously his dig very popular with the american people who are against any military action. and popular with a number of people in congress who have been calling for authorization. it doesn't appear that it was popular with his national security team. >> no.

from what i understand, it is not popular with secretary of state kerry. and there is some concern over at the pentagon. it is equivocal and they believe they can have if he can. what they wanted to be is more specific as to what the goal are so that they can be judged to have achieved those goals. but overall, i want to come back to your first point and to something charlie said. i thought he made the point for congress supporting this president when the vote comes. that's not clear that vote is there right now to support him. the argument made on a personal level, i was not supportive of this along with 80% of americans, democrats and republicans who think we have been in wars and it is not clear what we were doing if we went into syria. whose side we were on and whether or not the bad guys, assad was in fact holding back people who might one day bite us. al qaeda. i think the president and secretary of state kerry made strong case leading up to this

moment which is why it feels so empty right now. that they didn't act. but if you look out at the broader picture, the fact that the american people have questions about intervention. the fact the congress has been very clear that we want to say, i don't think this will look bad to history. >> what about, steve, the reporting of james rosen about a senior state department official saying the decision has been made. there will be military action no matter what congress does. >> i am deeply skeptical of that. i think to a certain extent, we're overcomplicating this. this is a president who doesn't want to be involve in syria, period. i think that explains everything that we've seen from this administration over the past two years from everything we've seen over the past week. look back at these critical junctures in the public deliberation of the u.s. action in syria. and the president has shown his hand. remember when there was a robust discussion about arming the rebels early.

the moderates. not complicated as much by the contributions of jihadists. the president overruled hillary clinton, david petraeus, leon panetta, in terms of arming the rebels at that point. the red line had been breached. the president had promised serious consequences and then with the shrug of the shoulders. now you have consensus from the security team. for the reasons secretary kerry laid out in a quite compelling way yesterday, and the president of the united states once again slugs his shoulders and throws up an obstacle in his own way. when you are agree with intervention or not, when you are agree that the president should take this to congress, the incompetence on display toast past week has been absolutely breath taking. >> members of congress weigh in on all sides. after a quick break. why do people count on sunsweet prune juice to stay fit on the inside?

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the constitution gives congress the power t the constitution gives congress the power to declare war. and i am very, very glad that the president listened to the bipartisan call to come before congress and come before the american people and make the case. not based on inlt national norm. not based on international law but based on the only proper criterion for potential military action. the vital national security interests of the united states of america. >> congress will weigh in. senator ted cruz with his thoughts. some different views though from capitol hill. they are obviously not here now. they are out on vacation.

but peter king says president obama is abdicating his responsibility as commander in chief. if assad's use of chemical weapons deserves a military response, and i believe it does, if the president is seeking congressional approval, he should call congress back into a special session at the earliest date. the president doesn't need 535 member of congress to enforce his own red line. on the democratic side, elliott he know will with a similar statement. i understand his desire to seek explicit authorizing to do so from congress. i call on the speaker to immediately recall the house back from its august recess and debate this critical issue as soon as possible. so back the panel. you're shaking your head. >> i think that's an interesting point about calling him back. i don't understand why you've given the enormous of the issue before us, why you wouldn't say gentlemen, or ladies and gentlemen, time to come home. let's do business.

>> that's what i think. that's where ted cruz missed the point. yes, it is good that congress is being brought in. all of last week i was advocating that he should have congress. but i never imagined he would announce and say, a month. look what happened in britain. cameron recalled the parliament. we have's airports. our air force has airplanes. you could have everybody in congress in their seats tomorrow. have a debate, and have a decision in a day or two. a war is going on. the combatants in a war are not going to wait and told their arms. already the syrian military is shelling in damascus. the idea of even the united states dalying while obama's in moscow an a useless g-20 mission is simply unbelievable. and every turn the president has shown i think steve indicated, he doesn't want to get inof voed. okay. if that's the case, he shouldn't have drawn a red line. shouldn't have had made that speech. he shouldn't have leaked all the

details of this account. he shouldn't have launched or ships into the med trainer. all of these and then says, you know we'll have a debate and we'll see later. in the region, this is astonishing and demoralizing to anybody on the american side >> i think senator cruz spoke an, charles, vital american interests. that that's got to be the heart of the case. so he's got to lay out vital american interests, and make that case to the american people, and i think this is an opportunity to do so. i mean, when you think about it, truman went in to korea. he didn't have any authorization. most of vietnam was done without authorization. the gulf of tonkin resolution actually written in the johnson white house and then sent to congress. that was rubber stamped. look at what george h.w. bush, george bush did, both cases, congressional authorization. in the case of george w. bush, amp other vital interests the unite was directly attacked. we didn't go and immediate he

launch a counterattack. waited and got authorization. >> look, the idea as the president would have us believe in his speech today he is suddenly so concerned with the proper role of congress and our constitutional democracy is preposterous, totally ridiculous on its face. this is a president who spent the better part of the last three yes campaigning on his ability and willingness to circumvent congress on everything. virtually every substantive issue the president has been telling feel i don't need to wait for congress. i can do it on my own. the authority determine when congress is or is not in recess. now he'd suddenly concerned about this? if he was so concerned about authorization of military action why didn't he seek it when he did something by most accounts was likely to be much more extensive in libya? he didn't because -- >> vital interest, libya didn't threat ton explode into a world war iii.

it still was a ill military act >> steve, about the reporting, one more, even if congress votes, no, it couldn't move forward a white house statement out today between president obama and the french president, they put out a statement, agreeing they must deliver an astute message to the assad regime and unacceptable those who violate this will be held accountable. secretary kerry talking to the rebels today as well saying there will be action. so, you know, interesting. >> look, it's entirely possible the president will do something. i find it hard to believe the president who didn't make a strong case on behalf of what he called the good war after he sent troops into afghanistan is suddenly going to defy the will of congress if they vote against it and 80% of the american people. i find it unlikely. final thoughts from the panel when we come back. ♪

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it's been an interesting it's been an interesting day. final thoughts now from the panel. steve? >> i think the big question is will the president of the united

states put political capital on the line to make an aggressive case for intervention in syria when everything we've seen thus far indicates he doesn't want to be involved. >> juan? >> i think the president has maid it clear it's what he wants to do and he's put himself at great political risk, as we saw in britain, and i don't though that the american people disagree with the decision to delay. the question is whether or not the congress, and especially conservatives who told him not to act, will move beyond their anger at him. >> charles? >> ask for retreats, zigzags, hesitation and the lack of urgency i think in the region, american standing, the word of the united states is at its lowest since 1970. it is a historic moment. panel, as always, thank you. and thank you for inviting us in to your home tonight. please, keep it here on fox news channel for continuing coverage of the crisis in syria and remember to tune in for a special fox news sunday tomorrow morning as chris wallace hosts the secretary of state john kerry. check your local listings on the

fox bod cast network or watch fox news channel tomorrow at 2:00, 6:00 p.m. eastern time. that is if for this special report. live from america's new headquarters, i'm harris faulkner with the latest development surrounding the crisis in syria. president obama has sent late this evening a letter. the president possible retaliation in response to an august 21st weapons attack in the capital of damascus. an attack that killed more than 1,000 syrians including school children. earlier in the day the president met with reporters at the white house in the rose

garden. he revealed his decision to seek that authorization from congress before taking punitive measures again the syrian government. >> here's my question for every member of congress and every member of the global community. what message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price? >> now the president will wait for congress, he said. this tuesday the senate foreign relations committee and chaired by new jersey democrat robert menendez is set to hear testimony from senior administration on the force in syria. one of the republicans on the foreign relations committee expects he will vote against authorizing the president to use force. senator rand paul on the fox report earlier this evening. >> i'm proud of president obama, and i don't say that lightly.

>> on the house side, calling house members to washington, tomorrow to take part in classified briefings. i'm harris faulkner. now a fox news special timeline of terror. [ applause ] it's a very special day. everybody's proud of what we've accomplished. . >> if it had been more than a job for these guys. it's a mission. they've been passionate and working day and night as a tribute to the victims of