Syria military strike faces first test vote in Congress President Obama's call for a military strike in Syria will face its first formal test as early as Wednesday, as the Senate committee that heard impassioned testimony from Secretary of State John Kerry a day earlier takes up the resolution authorizing the use of force. The Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote on the draft resolution, which authorizes Obama to use military force in a "limited and tailored manner" against military targets in Syria and sets a deadline for any action in response to the chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21. The measure, which was made public Tuesday night, would set a time limit of 60 days and says the president could extend that for 30 days more unless Congress has a vote of disapproval. The document also bars American ground troops for combat operations. The resolution was drafted by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top committee's top Republican. Menendez, as well as Kerry, said Tuesday that failing to do so would embolden America's enemies. Kerry's congressional testimony, along with that of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, came as the administration earned high-level backing on Capitol Hill for its call to use military force. House Speaker John Boehner and other congressional leaders endorsed a military strike to punish the Assad regime for a the chemical weapons attack. But despite the apparent momentum, Kerry and the rest of the panel continued to face skeptical lawmakers who worried whether a "limited" strike would have limited impact, and whether it could nevertheless draw the U.S. deeper into the conflict. "There are troubling questions that need to be answered," Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said. Kerry spent much of the hearing walking back a remark that seemed to leave the door open to American ground troops going into Syria. Kerry initially stirred confusion by saying he'd prefer not to include a prohibition on American troops going into Syria. He again clarified, toward the end of the hearing, that he doesn't want anyone to "misinterpret" his remarks, and that the resolution considered by Congress "should not have any allowance for any troops on the ground." Kerry got into a heated exchange with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who told Kerry that he hasn't talked to anybody who supports the call for military action. "Nobody's calling [my office] in favor of this war," he said. "We don't believe we are going to war in the classic sense," Kerry said. The president is not asking you to go to war. Kerry argued that inaction in this case, though, would open a "Pandora's box" and leave U.S. allies questioning the worth of America's word and U.S. enemies itching to test America's resolve. "This is not the time for armchair isolationism," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The hearing comes after the Obama administration won support for a strike on Syria from top congressional leaders.