McCain: Syria vote failure would be 'catastrophic,' but might vote against it

John McCain and Lindsey Graham meet with Susan Rice and President Obama in the Oval Office on Monday to discuss Syria

John McCain and Lindsey Graham meet with Susan Rice and President Obama in the Oval Office on Monday to discuss Syria

So John McCain says it would be catastrophic for Congress to not support President Obama's plan for using military force against Syria...

“If the Congress were to reject a resolution like this, after the president of the United States has already committed to action, the consequences would be catastrophic, in that the credibility of this country with friends and adversaries alike would be shredded,” McCain told reporters. “And there would be not only implications for this president, but for future presidencies as well.”

...but that he might not vote for it anyway:

“I can’t support something that I’m afraid may be doomed to failure in the long run,” McCain said on NBC’s “Today” on Tuesday. “If this resolution does not do what we discussed with the president of the United States yesterday … then this resolution will not have the desired effect. [...] it’s got to be a resolution that will achieve the goals that I just described, and if it doesn’t, than obviously then I can’t support it,” McCain said.

So I guess if Congress rejects President Obama's request for authorization to attack Syria this will be the reason given by many Republicans: That his request just didn't go far enough.

Of course, if McCain really is concerned about preserving the credibility of this country, and avoiding a catastrophic mess, perhaps he should reflect back on what happened the last time that Congress authorized the use of military force. As it turns out, voting no—as Barack Obama said he would have done—would have been the right course for America to take.