The Pentagon tried to clarify remarks made by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta , when he told a Senate committtee on Wednesday that the U.S. military is seeking `` permission '' from a foreign organization to intervene in Syria . `` He was re-emphasizing the need for an international mandate . We are not ceding U.S. decision-making authority to some foreign body , '' a defense official told CNN . In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee , Panetta had an exchange with Sen. Jeff Sessions , R-Alabama , who said Congress was circumvented when Obama decided to join the NATO coalition in Libya . Sessions said , `` We spend our time worrying about the U.N. , the Arab League , NATO and too little time , in my opinion , worrying about the elected representatives of the United States . As you go forward , will you consult with the United States Congress ? '' Panetta replied , `` You know , our goal would be to seek international permission . And we would come to the Congress and inform you and determine how best to approach this , whether or not we would want to get permission from the Congress . '' Latching onto the words `` permission '' and `` inform , '' Sessions ripped into Panetta : `` Well I 'm troubled by that . I think it does weaken the ability of the United States to lead . I do think ultimately you need the legal authority from the United States of America , not from any other extra-territorial group that might assemble . '' But even when Sessions gave Panetta a chance to clarify , Panetta continued to say the U.S. would seek `` permission '' so that there was a legal basis to act . `` I 'm really baffled by the idea that somehow an international assembly provides a legal basis for the United States military to be deployed in combat , '' Sessions said . `` I do n't believe it 's close to being correct . They provide no legal authority . The only legal authority that 's required to deploy the United States military is of the Congress and the president and the law and the Constitution . '' After the exchange , committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin , D-Michigan , tried to help Panetta clarify further . `` I do n't think the word permission is appropriate even in that context . By the way , I think what -- you really corrected it when you said a legal basis in international law would help you achieve an international coalition , '' Levin said . `` That 's correct , '' Panetta responded . After the hearing , Sen . Sessions told Security Clearance in an interview that Panetta 's comments were `` very revealing of the mindset '' of the administration . Panetta `` seemed so natural in expressing it as if he did n't understand this went against '' the fundamentals of our government . While Sessions said he does not think the U.S. should act alone , he said there are indications that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is gaining momentum and `` the window of opportunity could be closed . '' `` The delays that are taking place out of a determination to get a major worldwide support , I suppose could be costly , '' Sessions said in the interview . The defense official , who did not identify himself because he did not want to speak publicly for the secretary , further explained the rationale for seeking international agreement . `` The legitimacy is greater if there is some form of international mandate . There 's a sense that unilateral U.S. action would be perceived in the wrong way , especially in this part of the world . Does the U.S. want to go it alone in another Arab country ? That figures into the calculus . '' The official said a United Nations Security Council resolution , like the one that authorized action in Libya , is n't necessarily the only way to go about this . `` Some kind of mandate from a regional organization could signify this is not just a unilateral effort on our part , '' he said . This is important not only to the U.S. , but to other nations in the region that oppose al-Assad 's regime , the source said . The official also emphasized that international agreement is just one of the concerns . The other part of the equation is the Syrian military and dense population centers , which are big factors in any military intervention , said the source . `` The complexity of that can not be overstated . This is a very hard problem set we 're dealing with . ''
Panetta had an exchange with Sen. Jeff Sessions , R-Alabama . Sessions : Congress circumvented when Obama joined NATO coalition in Libya . Panetta said , `` You know , our goal would be to seek international permission '' Sessions `` baffled by the idea '' that international group must approve U.S. combat .