>> congressman, every nation, every individual, every group responds in their own self interest. >> reporter: why then aren't america's allies offering a military response. >> mr. secretary, you said the world is watching what we are doing, but i have yet to hear some concrete things of what the world is doing. >> reporter: and what if the u.s. is dragged into a bigger war in the middle east. >> have you made contingency plans for us being in an escalated military operation in the region? >> in the spirit of your compliment on my conciseness, yes. >> reporter: house armed services chairman is not willing to predict they'll authorize force. >> it will be one of the toughest votes in congress. >> reporter: recent polls show the american public opposed to force in syria, prompting calls for the president to make the case from the oval office. bret? >> thanks, mike. let's get some insight into president obama's strategy.