Rand Paul compares John Kerry to a 'clairvoyant'
(CNN) – Following his tense exchange with John Kerry at Tuesday's Senate hearing on Syria, Sen. Rand Paul said the secretary of state is overstating his certitude that a military strike against the regime of Bashar al-Assad will make the Middle East safer.
"Well, he sounds like he must be a clairvoyant because he can predict the future now and so we should ask him for stock picks, you name it, who's going to win the Kentucky Derby next year if he can guarantee the future," the Kentucky Republican said on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."
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5 things from Senate hearing on Syria
Washington (CNN) - Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey answered questions for 3 ½ hours on Tuesday at the first congressional hearing on President Barack Obama's request for authorization to launch a military strike against Syria over chemical weapons.
The hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which Kerry used to chair, covered a range of issues about the proposed U.S. military response raised by legislators and people across the country. Here are five things we learned from it:
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Christie accuses Democratic rival of mocking his weight
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday called it “unfortunate” that Democratic gubernatorial nominee Barbara Buono seemed to take a jab at his weight at a recent political event.
"For me and for other folks across New Jersey, many folks who are challenged by their weight, the fact that someone running for governor would make derisively comments about someone’s physical appearance I think is really beneath the office that she’s seeking and I’m disappointed that she’s done it," Christie said at a press conference in Newark. "But she’s playing out of the Corzine Playbook in that way.”
FULL STORYMcCain's poker scandal
(CNN) - Sen. John McCain, perhaps the Senate's most outspoken voice in favor of military action in Syria, was caught playing poker Tuesday at the first congressional hearing about giving the president authority to use force in the war-torn country.
Hillary Clinton supports Obama on Syria
(CNN) - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backs President Barack Obama's proposal to take military action in Syria, an aide told CNN's Jessica Yellin on Tuesday.
"Secretary Clinton supports the President's effort to enlist the Congress in pursuing a strong and targeted response to the Assad regime's horrific use of chemical weapons," the aide said.
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CNN's GUT CHECK for September 3, 2013
CNN's GUT CHECK | for September 3, 2013 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle
KERRY TO CONGRESS: THIS IS NOT LIKE IRAQ… Secretary of State John Kerry at a meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: "I remember Iraq. Secretary Hagel remembers Iraq...We were here for that vote. And so we are especially sensitive, Chuck and I, to never again asking any Member of Congress to take a vote on faulty intelligence. That is why our intelligence community has scrubbed and re-scrubbed the evidence. We have declassified unprecedented amounts of information.”
CONGRESS TO KERRY: MAKE YOUR CASE… Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California on whether the intelligence community agrees: Did they all come to the same conclusion, the various intelligence agencies?
Kerry: To my knowledge, I have no knowledge of any agency that was a dissenter or anybody who had, you know, an alternative theory.
THE BUZZ: HAGEL TOOK IT ON THE CHIN THIS WEEKEND… Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived Tuesday at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Syria sporting a noticeable bruise on his chin. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr reports Hagel’s injury was a result of exercising his green thumb. According to an aide, “Secretary Hagel slightly bruised his chin while doing a little yard work at home over the weekend.”
Hagel took it on the chin this weekend
Washington (CNN) – Gardening has become a contact sport, apparently.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived Tuesday at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Syria sporting a noticeable bruise on his chin. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr reports the SecDef’s injury was a result of exercising his green thumb.
According to an aide, “Secretary Hagel slightly bruised his chin while doing a little yard work at home over the weekend.”
Polls: Should U.S. launch strikes against Syria?
Washington (CNN) - Two new national polls indicate the same thing: More Americans oppose rather than favor U.S. military strikes against Syria.
According to an ABC News/Washington Post survey released Tuesday, 36% of the public supports launching missile strikes against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if the U.S. has determined that Damascus has used chemical weapons against its own citizens, with nearly six in ten opposing such a move.
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Happening now: Lawmakers grill Obama officials on Syria
Check back here for the latest updates in our live blog of the Senate hearing
(CNN) - Top Obama administration officials faced tough questions Tuesday as they made their case for a military strike in Syria during their first public congressional hearing on the issue.
Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey sat before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday afternoon.
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Inside the bubble: 9 secrets from the 2012 race
Washington (CNN) - Don't want to read a 95-page treatise on the high velocity nature of modern political reporting and its impact on presidential politics?
Cool. We've got you covered.
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