Reid won’t ‘rush’ ISIS vote in Senate

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that he is not going to “rush in to” scheduling a vote authorizing military strikes against Islamic militants despite pressure from colleagues.

“I’m inclined to not rush in to anything,” Reid told reporters shortly before a scheduled meeting with President Obama and other congressional leaders.

{mosads}“Tomorrow the president is addressing the nation. That doesn’t happen very often. On Thursday afternoon we’re having a briefing here from the administration on what’s going on in the Middle East,” he added. “I’m going to wait and get the facts before I jump off into something that you read on the Internet someplace.”

Democrats such as Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.) have pressed for a vote on legislation authorizing military action against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL).

Most Republicans also support a full congressional debate and vote on military action.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said Tuesday that most members of his party want Obama to present a plan for fighting ISIS and then debate it.

“It’s my view and the view of I think a clear majority of the Republican conference in the Senate and I guess a lot of the Democrats as well that the president should come up with a strategy, present it to the Congress and give us a clear indication of how he intends to defeat ISIL,” he said.

Vulnerable Democrats, though, do not want to vote on new military action in Iraq before the midterm elections.

The Senate is spending this week debating a constitutional amendment that would empower Congress to regulate campaign finance activities.