The U.S. has forces in place to execute military action, and "I'm prepared to give that order," the president said. He called on Congress to approve a military operation "limited in duration and scope" to punish the Syrian government and to reinforce an international norm against such "heinous" acts. President presses pause: Barack Obama arrives to make a statement about Syria in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013. Delaying what had appeared to be an imminent strike, Obama announced Saturday that he will seek congressional approval before launching any military action meant to punish Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack that killed hundreds. Credit:AP Obama's decision to await congressional action slowed a movement toward military action reflected in Secretary of State John Kerry's presentation yesterday of intelligence findings that Bashar al-Assad's regime was responsible for a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian regime August 21 that killed more than 1,400 people, including more than 400 children. "We are the United States of America, and we cannot and must not turn a blind eye to what happened in Damascus," Obama said today. He didn't say whether he would go forward with a strike if Congress doesn't authorise it. "While I believe I have the authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorisation, I know that the country will be stronger if we take this course and our actions will be even more effective," Obama said. "We should have this debate."

Anti-War Protests Unpopular: New Yorkers protest against proposed U.S. military action against Syria, in Times Square, August 31, 2013. Reuters As Obama spoke in the Rose Garden, anti-war protesters were demonstrating in front of the White House. Obama later left the White House to play golf with a group including Vice President Joe Biden. Even before this month's alleged attack with chemical weapons, Congress was divided about the war in Syria and whether the U.S. should become more deeply involved by moves such as establishing a no-fly zone. Differences emerged in initial comments on Obama's call for congressional action. Republican leaders of the House of Representatives said they welcomed Obama's decision and expect to consider a measure authorizing action the week of Sept. 9.

"The president's role as commander-in-chief is always strengthened when he enjoys the expressed support of the Congress," the Republicans, led by Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, said in an e-mailed statement. One Republican, Representative Peter King of New York, said Obama was "abdicating his responsibility as commander-in-chief and undermining the authority of future presidents" by awaiting a go-ahead from Congress. Aiding Opposition Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that he hopes Obama will "use this time to help the Syrian people defend themselves by assisting vetted elements of the Syrian opposition in obtaining more effective weapons such as anti-tank weapons." Almost 80 percent of Americans say Obama should seek congressional approval before taking any military action, according to a poll conducted Aug. 28-29 for NBC News. Only 42 percent said they would support a U.S. military response, rising to 50 percent when the action specified is limited cruise- missile strikes targeted on Syrian infrastructure used to carry out chemical-weapons attacks. The poll of 700 adults has an error margin of 3.7 percentage points.

Gassing Children "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?" Obama said today. Members of Obama's national security team, who were meeting today at the White House, planned to brief senators on Syria on a conference call this afternoon and give House members a classified, in-person briefing tomorrow at the Capitol. Attacking Syria, even with satellite targeting and accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles, risks harming civilians and provoking Assad to unleash more chemical arms on his people. An attack muscular enough to help unseat Assad's government might bolster rebels affiliated with al-Qaeda. Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad's main ally, urged Obama to "think carefully" before ordering any strikes. Putin called for the U.S. to submit its evidence that Syrian government forces carried out the attack to the United Nations Security Council, where Russia holds a veto.

"Rushing in such cases can lead to results completely contrary to expectations," Putin told reporters in Vladivostok, eastern Russia. UN Inspectors UN weapons inspectors arrived in The Hague today after probing the attack outside Damascus, the world body said. Assad denies using chemical arms. The inspection team is determining whether a chemical attack occurred, though not who ordered it and carried it out. The report may take weeks to prepare because of the lab work required, said a UN official who wasn't authorized to comment and asked not to be identified. The UN needs time to examine the "entire body of evidence" and will produce an "impartial, credible" report on the chemical-weapons allegations, Martin Nesirky, spokesman for the secretary-general told reporters today in New York.

Damascus Residents In Damascus, residents had been braced for a U.S. missile attack, stocking up on food, including staples such as bread, rice and water. Traffic on the streets, usually crowded in the summer evenings, has become sparse after dark. "We're expecting it any minute now," said Mahmoud Merei, a lawyer said before Obama's address. Of major U.S. allies in Europe, only French President Francois Hollande has signaled willingness to join in. The threat of a military strike has weighed on markets. U.S. stocks fell yesterday, with the Standard & Poor's 500 Index capping its worst monthly drop since May 2012. Even so, West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell for a second day after the U.K. Parliament voted not to participate.

Obama said today that the U.S. military is ready to act at the time of his choosing. "The chairman of the Joint Chiefs has informed me that our capacity to execute this mission is not time sensitive," Obama said. "It will be effective tomorrow, or next week or one month from now." Assad's Arsenal Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi said this week Syria would be a "graveyard for invaders," according to the state news agency, SANA, while Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said the military would "surprise" the world with its might. Assad's arsenal includes Scud and Iranian-made Fateh missiles, according to Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Sapped by more than two years of civil war, battered by defections and deprived of spare parts, Assad's forces would still struggle to mount a serious response. Syria's military forces fell to about half their notional strength of 220,000 by autumn 2012 as a "result of a combination of defections, desertions and casualties," according to a report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. Halaqi said the government is working hard to guarantee food and medical supplies and has strategic reserves of all products. Bakeries will work round the clock to meet demand, he said. 'Highly Credible' A four-page intelligence assessment released by the Obama administration yesterday didn't tie the attack directly to orders from Assad, though it said he's Syria's ultimate decision maker. Administration officials have previously said the Syrian president bears responsibility for his military's actions.

The report concluded with "high confidence" that the Assad government carried out last week's attack. Syria has a stockpile of chemical agents -- including mustard, sarin and VX -- and "thousands" of munitions to deliver them, it said. The assessment attributed its findings to communications intercepts, satellite data and accounts from medical personnel, journalists and witnesses, videos and thousands of social-media reports, as well as "highly credible non-governmental organisations." U.S. Warships The U.S. has warships on standby in the region that could launch Tomahawk cruise missiles. An amphibious ship, the USS San Antonio, arrived in the eastern Mediterranean yesterday, joining five destroyers. The San Antonio, which typically carries about 300 Marines, could evacuate U.S. personnel from embassies in the Middle East. France has the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean, which is capable of carrying Rafale M strike fighters with Scalp EG cruise missiles, according to the IISS.

"The French will play a respectable military role, but their presence is mostly nice for diplomatic reasons," Richard Aboulafia, a vice president at Teal Group, a Fairfax, Virginia- based consulting firm, said by phone. "In terms of missiles fired, their contribution will be a small percent of the total." Loading In France, a poll by BVA for Le Parisien newspaper showed 64 percent of respondents opposed to military action, with 34 percent in favor. BVA interviewed 1,010 people on the same dates for the poll, which has a margin of error of 2.5 points. Obama is scheduled to leave the U.S. on Sept. 3 for a trip to Sweden followed by attendance at the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, hosted by Putin.