The Pentagon tried to clarify remarks made by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, when he told a Senate committtee on Wednesday that the U.S. military is seeking "permission" from a foreign organization to intervene in Syria. "He was re-emphasizing the need for an international mandate. We are not ceding U.S. decision-making authority to some foreign body," a defense official told CNN. In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Panetta had an exchange with Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, who said Congress was circumvented when Obama decided to join the NATO coalition in Libya. Sessions said, "We spend our time worrying about the U.N., the Arab League, NATO and too little time, in my opinion, worrying about the elected representatives of the United States. As you go forward, will you consult with the United States Congress?"
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Panetta had an exchange with Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama
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Sessions: Congress circumvented when Obama joined NATO coalition in Libya
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Panetta said, "You know, our goal would be to seek international permission"
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Sessions "baffled by the idea" that international group must approve U.S. combat
But even when Sessions gave Panetta a chance to clarify, Panetta continued to say the @placeholder would seek "permission" so that there was a legal basis to act.