Click for a transcript here.
In order to get a head start at a look at the White House Staff - which we will cover when we look at the section on Presidential Power - let's look at some of the people responsible for gathering the information contained in the speech.
The National Security Council: This group was created in the same piece of legislation that created the Department of Defense, among other things: "the function of the Council has been to advise and assist the president on national security and foreign policies. The Council also serves as the president's principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies."
- Click here for the White House page on the NSC
Some relevant news items:
Here's a look at the internal debate within the council about whether to strike against Syria, and whether to ask Congress for authorization.Here's a look at the NSC's attempt to brief members of Congress - especially the members of the House and Senate Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees.
The NYT has links to past stories involving the NSC.
The National Security Advisor is the primary advisor to the president on security affairs and heads the NSC's staff - which collects the information and conducts the research that forms the basis for the advice sent to the president.
- Here's a wayback look at the NSC staff during the Clinton years.
Something to file away for later use: The NSC is just one of the may advisory institutions which allow presidents to manage the multiple functions carried out by the executive branch. More on this in a few weeks, but its useful right now in order to figure our where the president is getting the information that suggests that a tactical strike against Syria is the right thing to do in response to the recent chemical attack.
