President Barack Obama is enlisting two powerful Republican senators to help in his effort to win congressional support to carry out a military strike on Syria.
The move comes ahead of a major hearing on Tuesday where top members of his national security team will make their case to Congress and the public for military action.
According to Fox News, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will conduct the first hearing on the proposed Syria strike on Tuesday afternoon.
Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to testify.
Ahead of the hearing, Obama met with Senator John McCain, R-Arizona, who has been an ally in recent debates over immigration and other issues, and Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina.
The president is facing an uphill climb in winning the congressional support he now says he will court.
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McCain has also echoed that he would strike Syria, making sure the effort is clearly intended to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and helping the rebels, the report said.
The Obama administration has lobbied Congress almost relentlessly this weekend, calling leaders from both parties and leading classified briefings on Capitol Hill, in addition to the White House invitation to McCain and Graham, the report added.