Pres. Obama Calls Lawmakers With No Doubt on Syria

Since congress is not back in session yet, President Obama takes to the phone to get his point to lawmakers that action needs to be taken in Syria, CNN's Dana Bash reports.

Top White House officials tell CNN the president called lawmakers Thursday night to say the administration has no doubt President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria is behind deadly chemical attacks.

Though CNN's Frederick Pleitgen reports the Syrian defense minister recently sent a letter to the defense minister of Iran saying the rebels are the ones responsible for the attacks in the country.

Secretaries of State, Defense and others, refute this claim and assured the group the U.S. has intercepted communications "from a high level Syrian official which clearly indicates they were responsible for these weapons."

One key GOP senator, Bob Corker, emerged from the briefings to announce support for what he called "surgical, proportional military strikes given the strong evidence of the Assad regime's continued use of chemical warfare."

Democratic Senate foreign relations chair Bob Menendez reaffirmed his support too, saying "a decisive and consequential U.S. response is justified and warranted."

Others argued the president still has to come before congress and the American people before he acts.

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