Ted Cruz opposes Syria attack because 'we should be focused on' Benghazi

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) says that one of the best reasons to oppose a U.S. military strike on Syria is that Congress should be focusing on the so-called scandal over last year's terrorist attacks in Benghazi.

In an interview on Sunday, ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked the Texas Republican if President Barack Obama could be impeached if he took military action against Syria for the use of chemical weapons even if Congress refused to authorize a strike.

"It would be contrary to the Constitution," Cruz warned. "And listen, this is not the time for politics. This is a grave and serious moment. I would like to support our commander-in-chief. I would like to see our commander-in-chief focused on protecting U.S. national security."

But Cruz added the debate over Syria meant that Congress was not spending enough time going after the Obama administration for the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi.

"One of the problems with all of this focus on Syria is its missing the ball from what we should be focused on, which is the grave threat from radical Islamic terrorism," he insisted. "I mean, just this week is the one-year anniversary of the attack on Benghazi. In Benghazi, four Americans were killed, including the the first ambassador since 1979."

"When it happened, the president promised to hunt the wrongdoers down, and yet a few months later, the issue has disappeared. You don't hear the president mention Benghazi. Now it's a phony scandal," Cruz said. "We ought to be defending U.S. national security and going after radical Islamic terrorists."

Watch this video from ABC's This Week, broadcast Sept. 8, 2013.

(h/t: Think Progress)