Sen. Kaine holds roundtable with veterans in Norfolk

Sen. Tim Kaine looked around the table Friday at a roomful of men and women who know firsthand what war entails and put forth his stance on U.S. military action against Syria.

One: If the U.S. doesn't launch an attack on Syria, President Bashar Assad will only be emboldened to continue using chemical weapons, he said.

Two: It is the role of Congress, not the president, to authorize war.

The first-term senator and former Virginia governor held a roundtable with nearly two dozen veterans at Old Dominion University on Friday to discuss the question of war powers - an issue that has grown more pressing after Assad's presumed use of chemical weapons killed more than 1,400 people in Syria on Aug. 21.

"It's been a thorny issue, constitutionally," Kaine said. "Presidents have often overreached and Congress has decided to let them because they don't want to go on the board and be accountable for their vote."

Kaine, a Democrat, said that as a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, he has been privy to classified briefings and was convinced by the evidence that Assad violated global laws governing war.

He's convinced, he said, that action against Assad is necessary - and that given the reluctance of the United Kingdom and the United Nations Security Council to throw their support behind President Barack Obama's call for a punitive response, it will only happen if the U.S. spearheads an attack.

Despite his conviction, Kaine said Obama should not act unless he has congressional backing.

"I think if Congress doesn't do anything, it will be bad and there will be a worse day of reckoning down the line," Kaine said. "But I think it would be worse if Congress votes 'no' and we do it anyway."

"I don't think we can ask our servicemen and women to carry out a mission if their political leaders don't back them," he added.

Around the table, veterans peppered the senator with questions.

"What's going to be the end game?" wondered Ray Zumpol, a sailor who said he was shot seven times during a firefight in Vietnam and defied predictions that he would never walk again.

The action the U.S. might take will be limited, Kaine said. It won't end the Syrian civil war, but it can send Assad a message that "you've done wrong. Don't do it again or you will see more."

Still, he acknowledged, Americans and U.S. allies are war-weary and there's an "Iraq hangover" after allies were "sold on participation (in Iraq) based on intelligence that turned out not to be true."

"Clearly, there's a reason for skepticism," he said.

Former Navy hospital corpsman Cherylynn Sagester said she worried the president had painted himself into a corner by committing to action against Syria before he had the backing.

Other veterans disagreed.

"The most powerful force in war? It's the male ego," David Timm said. "It's OK to back down."

Others wondered whether action would increase the threat of attacks on U.S. soil or rally the Arab world against the United States.

The Middle East is unpredictable, Kaine said. But there are many countries that, even if they won't overtly support action, opposed Syria's acts and would tacitly support a U.S. move.

Kaine said the consequences of U.S. action are somewhat unpredictable, but he doubted that Iran's objections would go beyond words.

Wrapping up the talk, he thanked the veterans for their dialogue. Congress resumes its session next week; Kaine said military action is likely weeks away.

"As long as it doesn't turn into another Vietnam," Zumbol said, as the group stood up.

"Absolutely," Kaine agreed. "We do not want that."

###