The Syrian crisis over the past few weeks has thrust President Barack Obama into a role in which at times he has seemed uneasy: that of commander in chief.
The prospect of an attack to punish Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons exposed the Nobel Peace laureate's strained and somewhat tentative relationship with the U.S. military. Obama's dramatic oscillation from detachment on Syria to the brink of military action, with him ultimately settling for a potential diplomatic solution, has unsettled many people in uniform.
Obama's two former defense secretaries weighed in on the controversy Tuesday night, saying they disagreed with the president's decision to seek congressional authorization for a strike. While Leon Panetta said a cruise missile attack would have been worthwhile, Robert Gates said the plan was akin to "throwing gasoline on an extremely complex fire in the Middle East."
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