Senate minority whip John Cornyn (R., Texas) says he and minority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) will not whip the vote to authorize the use of force in Syria, making it even harder for the White House to get to 51 votes. “I don’t think this is one of those issues [where the leadership will whip],” he said, speaking with reporters at the Capitol.
Cornyn, for his part, is officially undecided. But he seems to be leaning “no,” based on his comments today, where he wondered aloud about the White House’s strategy. The administration, he said, made an early “mistake” by “taking a top-down approach” — working on members of Congress instead of making a forceful case to the American people.