WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With a list of names, a stack of letters and a "Free Syria" pin on his lapel, Asaad Aref wandered the halls of Congress on Monday, trying to turn the tide in a debate that was not moving in his favour.
President Barack Obama's request to authorize a military strike against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appeared to be losing traction in Congress, and the Obama administration seemed to be reconsidering the idea. Public opinion firmly opposed military action, and even Aref's fellow Syrian Americans were divided.