Syria vote could leave Obama 'lame duck president'

Barack Obama is "staring defeat in the face" over a vote on Syria and it would be "devastating for the president if he loses", said Andrew Neil in New York.

The BBC political presenter said he would be a "lame duck president for the rest of his tenure" if he failed to get American politicians to back his call for military action in Syria.

Interviewed on his own BBC programme, the Daily Politics presenter said if a vote was held today, the president would lose in Congress, but "might squeak through" in the Senate, and "would go the way of David Cameron in the House of Commons".

He described how senators faced "huge public opposition to any kind of strike" from their voters, worrying those on marginal seats.

Mr Neil said: "The steer from the White House is that Congress will have to decide this - and if it does not vote for a strike, there will not be a strike."

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