MSNBC’s breaking news anchor and 11th Hour host Brian Williams is facing criticism from the Twittersphere for comments he made during the network’s live coverage of the missile launch attack on a Syrian air base. The strikes were carried out following a chemical weapon attack supposedly ordered by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 
 
 “I am tempted to quote the great Leonard Cohen: ‘I am guided by the beauty of our weapons,’” Williams said during an interview with U.S. intelligence expert Malcolm Nance. “They are beautiful pictures of fearsome armaments making what is for them what is a brief flight over to this airfield.” 
 
 The comments were made while video provided by the Pentagon of Tomahawk missiles launched by U.S. warships towards the Syrian air base was being shown. 
 
 Some people deemed the comments as insensitive or perhaps as a bit too cavalier given the circumstances. 
 
 Jesus Christ — Brian Williams: “I’m guided by the beauty of our weapons” – You can support airstrike without glamorizing it. https://t.co/77tefLFt9g — Yashar (@yashar) April 7, 2017 
 
 This is truly a surreal segment. Brian Williams: “I am guided by the beauty of our weapons.” https://t.co/85TNZxkNa8 — Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) April 7, 2017 
 
 The saddest thing here is Brian Williams is probably not lying this time. He likely thinks missile strikes are beautiful. https://t.co/11XnE4EbjO — jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) April 7, 2017 
 
 Nance, on the other hand, defended Williams’s comments: 
 
 I personally love @BWilliams. He has an extremely calming effect in serious crises. His statement was a quote of poetry which I have adopted https://t.co/M1AYotR1h9 — Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) April 7, 2017 
 
 Comments ||||| Brian Williams has come under fire for his seemingly euphoric reaction to Thursday night’s U.S. missile strike on Syria. 
 
 During his “11th hour” MSNBC show, the anchor began to wax poetic at the sight of the Pentagon-released video that showed three missiles launching into the night sky on their way to a Syrian airfield 
 
 “We see these beautiful pictures at night from the decks of these two U.S. Navy vessels in the Mediterranean,” Williams said. 
 
 The veteran newsman said the images tempted him to quote the late singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen. 
 
 And that’s what he did. “I am guided by the beauty of our weapons,” Williams said, a lyric from Cohen’s 1988 song “First We Take Manhattan.” He added, “They are beautiful pictures of fearsome armaments making a brief flight.” 
 
 Watch Williams’ segment below. 
 
 Twitter quickly pounced on his comments, calling them insensitive to the horrors of war. 
 
 “You can support airstrike without glamorizing it,” one critic tweeted. 
 
 Jesus Christ — Brian Williams: "I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons" – You can support airstrike without glamorizing it. https://t.co/77tefLFt9g — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) April 7, 2017 
 
 Some commented on how Williams seem to enjoy the imagery of war. 
 
 thoroughly unsurprised by brian williams obscene enjoyment of the jouissance of US military technology — Patrick Blanchfield (@PatBlanchfield) April 7, 2017 
 
 Brian Williams opens his wallet and out spill dozens of pictures of missile strikes with hearts drawn on them. — J.D. Altman (@NicCageMatch) April 7, 2017 
 
 Others brought up Williams’ six-month suspension from NBC without pay in 2015 for misrepresenting events that occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003, in addition to other stories. 
 
 Brian Williams is under fire for calling the US strike beautiful. However that story might not be true as it was reported by Brian Williams. — Will Presti (@WillPresti) April 7, 2017 
 
 “It’s time for Brian Williams to get fired again,” another tweeted. 
 
 I think it's time for Brian Williams to get fired again. — Sean Burns (@SeanMBurns) April 7, 2017 
 
 Neither MSNBC or Williams have yet to respond to the criticism. ||||| Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images 
 
 Both politicians and pundits have made many bizarre remarks about the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base last month, from President Trump’s childlike description of the chocolate cake he was eating at the time to Brian Williams repeatedly praising the “beautiful” war footage on MSNBC. 
 
 Now Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has pulled off an impressive feat: combining the Marie Antoinette element of Trump’s remarks and the callousness of Williams’s commentary. During a speech on Monday, Ross recalled the scene at Mar-a-Lago on April 6, when Trump dined with Chinese president Xi Jinping as two navy destroyers launched 59 Tomahawk missiles into Syria. 
 
 “Just as dessert was being served, the president explained to Mr. Xi he had something he wanted to tell him, which was the launching of 59 missiles into Syria,” Ross said. “It was in lieu of after-dinner entertainment.” 
 
 Ross was addressing the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, which Bloomberg describes as a gathering for “four thousand of the wealthiest, most influential leaders in the world.” 
 
 The crowd chuckled at Ross’s remark, according to Variety, and he added: “The thing was, it didn’t cost the president anything to have that entertainment.” 
 
 The “entertainment” might not have cost Trump anything, but USA Today calculates that the Tomahawk missiles alone cost about $79.9 million. The strike was launched after Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s forces killed at least 87 people with chemical weapons, and the Syrian military claimed that at least seven people were killed and nine wounded in the U.S. strike. ||||| Image caption The convoy carrying UN chemical weapons inspectors to the sites was targeted by snipers 
 
 Diplomatic pressure on Syria has failed and the UK is considering its response to a suspected chemical attack, Foreign Secretary William Hague says. 
 
 He told the BBC it would be possible for the UK and its allies to respond without the UN's unanimous backing. 
 
 In Syria, UN inspectors visited the site of the suspected attack after their convoy was shot at by snipers. 
 
 The PM is cutting his holiday short and is expected to hold a National Security Council meeting on Wednesday. 
 
 Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has also cancelled a visit to Afghanistan to meet British troops. 
 
 Downing Street said a decision on whether to recall Parliament would be made on Tuesday. 
 
 The suspected chemical attack took place on Wednesday near the Syrian capital Damascus, and reportedly killed more than 300 people. 
 
 Weapons inspectors carried out tests at the scene on Monday after unidentified snipers shot at one of their vehicles, a UN spokesman said. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption William Hague: UN Security Council has not shouldered its responsibilities 
 
 Mr Hague told BBC Radio 4's Today programme while he could not go into options or a timetable for action, he was not "going to rule anything in or out". 
 
 "We, the United States, many other countries including France, are clear that we can't allow the idea in the 21st century that chemical weapons can be used with impunity," he said. 
 
 A Downing Street spokesman said Prime Minister David Cameron had called Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Monday afternoon to discuss Syria and that they had reiterated the position that the use of chemical weapons should merit a "serious response" from the international community. 
 
 But while Mr Cameron "made clear there was little doubt" the attack was carried out by the Syrian regime, Mr Putin "said they did not have evidence of whether a chemical weapons attack had taken place or who was responsible," the spokesman said. 
 
 MPs are due to return to the Commons on 2 September but there have been demands for Parliament to be recalled. 
 
 Analysis Whitehall officials say no firm decision is likely to be taken on how Britain will respond to last week's alleged chemical attack in Syria until at least Wednesday. That is when David Cameron will be chairing a session of the National Security Council, attended by military and intelligence chiefs and senior ministers. It follows intense consultations between London and Washington with Downing Street keen to stress the two countries are acting in concert. Any military response, if it's decided on, is most likely to be confined to a one-off or limited guided missile strikes on selected Syrian military targets using Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from US Navy warships stationed hundreds of miles away in the eastern Mediterranean. US vessels there are reported to have about 400 such missiles onboard, while a Royal Navy submarine in the region can also carry cruise missiles. But Russia, Syria and Iran have all issued strong warnings against any western military action. 
 
 Labour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said he would "expect the prime minister to make his case to Parliament" before a decision was made about UK involvement. 
 
 The prime minister also had phone calls with other leaders, including US President Barack Obama, this weekend, where they agreed on the need to take "strong action". 
 
 He will return several days early from his holiday in Cornwall with his family so he can chair Wednesday's high-level security briefing of senior ministers and defence and intelligence chiefs. 
 
 It is understood the most likely military response would be a one-off or limited guided missile strikes on Syrian military targets fired from US Navy warships, says BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner. 
 
 Prof Michael Clarke, of the Royal United Services Institute, said: "Military advice to politicians in the US and the UK is 'don't think you can dabble in this - you have to go in with both feet'". 
 
 He told the BBC's PM programme limited air strikes might inconvenience the regime but were no guarantee you could stop it. 
 
 Other options - such as a no-fly zone or a safe haven - would have to be led by the US, and at the moment most of the "sabre-rattling" was coming from France and the UK - not the US, he added. 
 
 Whitehall officials have told the BBC the next key decisions would probably be taken at Wednesday's National Security Council meeting. 
 
 'Humanitarian need' 
 
 Mr Hague said diplomatic methods to resolve the civil war in Syria had "failed so far". 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: "They [the West] have not been able to come up with any proof but are saying at the same time that the red line has been crossed" 
 
 He said the UN Security Council, split over Syria, had not "shouldered its responsibilities". 
 
 The council is made up of 15 members including permanent members China, Russia, France, the US and the UK which have the power to veto any resolution. 
 
 But any action could be taken "without complete unity on the UN Security Council", he said. 
 
 He said a response could be "based on great humanitarian need and distress" and "in accordance with international law". 
 
 The foreign secretary said the suspected chemical attack was carried out by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime but it blames rebel forces saying footage of the attack was "fabricated". ||||| (CNN) The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has told CNN that removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power is a priority, cementing an extraordinary U-turn in the Trump administration's stance on the embattled leader. 
 
 Two days after the US launched military strikes on a Syrian airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack widely blamed on the Assad regime, Haley said Assad's departure was inevitable. 
 
 But before Tuesday's chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, which killed 89 people, Haley had said toppling Assad was not a priority. President Donald Trump, before his election, described fighting ISIS and seeking Assad's removal at the same time as "idiocy." 
 
 After seeing images of the horrific aftermath of the chemical attack, Trump ordered a bombardment of the Shayrat airbase in western Syria, which the US believes was the launchpad for the strike. It was the first time that the US had struck the Syrian regime since the start of the six-year civil war 
 
 "Getting Assad out is not the only priority. So what we're trying to do is obviously defeat ISIS. Secondly, we don't see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there. Thirdly, get the Iranian influence out. And then finally move towards a political solution, because at the end of the day this is a complicated situation, there are no easy answers and a political solution is going to have to happen," she said in the interview with anchor Jake Tapper. 
 
 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base In this image provided by the US Navy, the USS Porter fires a Tomahawk cruise missile from the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, April 7. On the orders of President Donald Trump, US warships launched between 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian government airfield. US officials said the Shayrat airfield was home to warplanes that carried out a chemical attack against civilians earlier in the week. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base The USS Ross fires a missile from the Mediterranean Sea. All of these warship photos were provided by the US Navy. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base A Tomahawk missile is fired by the USS Porter. When announcing the attacks, Trump said it is vital to the "national security of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons." Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base Another view of a missile being launched from the USS Ross. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base The strikes are the first direct military action the United States has taken against the leadership of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the country's six-year civil war. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base "There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and ignored the urging of the UN Security Council," Trump said. "Years of previous attempts at changing Assad's behavior have all failed and failed very dramatically." Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base Thirty-six of the Tomahawks were fired from the USS Ross and the other 23 were launched from the USS Porter, a US defense official told CNN. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base Damage is seen in the area of the Shayrat airfield, near the Syrian city of Homs, on Friday, April 7. The Pentagon said the strike, which began at 8:40 p.m. ET Thursday (3:40 a.m. local time Friday), targeted aircraft, storage facilities and other logistical materials. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base People inspect debris near the Shayrat airfield. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the United States had carried out an "unjust and unabashed assault" against Syria which "shows nothing but short-sightedness, a narrowness of vision and a blindness to political and military realities." Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base A plane is visible under an arch at the Shayrat airfield. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base The ground is blackened at the Shayrat airfield. A statement from Syria's general military command said the strikes caused "extensive material damage" and undermined counterterror operations by the Syrian army. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base Syrian jets remain parked at Shayrat. An initial damage assessment was that 58 of the 59 US missiles "severely degraded or destroyed" their intended targets, according to a US defense official. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: US launches strike against Syrian base This satellite image, released by the US Department of Defense, is a damage assessment photo of the Shayrat airfield. Hide Caption 13 of 13 
 
 Haley said that the Trump administration's view was that a political solution would not happen with Assad in power, though she stopped short of saying Assad's departure was now official US policy. 
 
 "If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it's going to be hard to see a government that's peaceful and stable with Assad," she said. 
 
 "Regime change is something that we think is going to happen because all of the parties are going to see that Assad is not the leader that needs to be taking place for Syria." 
 
 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was more equivocal about Assad's future on Sunday. He told CBS's "Face the Nation" that the threat of ISIS would first need to be reduced, then "I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria." 
 
 Change of tone 
 
 The decision to carry out strikes against the regime and the change in tone from Haley follows Trump's comments that the chemical attack "crossed a lot of lines for me." 
 
 Five days before the Khan Sheikhoun attack, Haley had indicated the US had ditched the Obama administration's policy of removing Assad. 
 
 "Our priority is no longer to sit and focus on getting Assad out," Haley had told reporters on March 30. On the same day, Tillerson said on a trip to Turkey that the "longer-term status of Assad would be decided by the Syrian people." 
 
 Russia has claimed Tuesday's deaths in Khan Sheikhoun were caused by a Syrian regime airstrike on a rebel-controlled chemical weapons facility. 
 
 Syria has given a murky account of what happened, but denies deliberately carrying out a chemical attack and blames "terrorist groups" for the deaths. 
 
 Lavrov said he supported a "thorough and impartial" investigation. 
 
 Russia-US tensions rise 
 
 Haley on Friday warned that the United States was prepared to take further action in Syria, but the Trump administration has refused to be drawn on what those next steps would be. 
 
 Tensions between Russia and the US have increased sharply since Trump ordered the missile strikes, and Russia has sent a frigate armed with cruise missiles to a port in western Syria in an apparent show of force in response to the US action. 
 
 The Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich. The ship, which is armed with cruise missiles, was reportedly entering the Mediterranean en route to a logistics site in Syria, Russian state media said. 
 
 Russia is Syria's most powerful ally and has propped up the Assad regime with air power. 
 
 The US has said the Pentagon is looking for any evidence the Russian government knew about or was complicit in the chemical attack. 
 
 A US military official told CNN the Pentagon was examining specifically whether a Russian warplane had bombed a hospital in Khan Sheikhoun five hours after the initial chemical attack, with the aim of destroying evidence. Russia flatly denies the allegations. 
 
 On Sunday, Syrian state media cited a statement by a group calling itself the "Joint Operations Command Center of Russia, Iran and allied forces" saying that the US strike on Syria had "crossed red lines" and that it would "respond strongly to any aggression on Syria." 
 
 But the group does not appear to be linked to the Russian or Iranian governments, and Russian and Iranian officials have not used the same language. 
 
 In her interview with CNN, Haley came down hard on Russia, reminding viewers that Moscow had said it would ensure chemical weapons would not be used in Syria. 
 
 "Either they knew that there were chemical weapons and they knew there was going to be chemical weapon use, and they just hid it from the international community, or they are being played for fools by Assad -- by him having chemical weapons and they're just in the dark and they don't know anything about it," she said. 
 
 Haley added that US intelligence showed there was no doubt the Syrian regime was behind the chemical attack. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Syrian survivors detail moment of attack Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Syrian survivors detail moment of attack 02:28 
 
 "I think the international community has pretty much spoken and Russia is out there on an island saying that Assad didn't do it, because everybody else is very clear and knows that Assad did," she said. 
 
 Tillerson and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, spoke by phone on Saturday, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, which said the US had initiated the call. 
 
 "Lavrov stressed that an attack on a country whose government is fighting terrorism only plays into the hands of extremists creates additional threats to regional and global security," the statement said. Lavrov said US allegations that Syria carried out the chemical attack "do not correspond to reality." 
 
 The two ministers are scheduled to meet in Moscow on Wednesday for talks. 
 
 The US strike 
 
 US officials said the strike against the Shayrat airbase hit aircraft, fuel storage, weapons dumps and other equipment, and was aimed at sending a message to the Syrian regime that the use of chemical weapons would not be tolerated. 
 
 But new airstrikes on Saturday, believed carried out by the Syrian regime or Russia, targeted Khan Sheikhoun again, raising criticism that the US action had been ineffective and should have aimed to destroy the facility's runway. 
 
 The reason you don't generally hit runways is that they are easy and inexpensive to quickly fix (fill in and top)! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2017 
 
 Trump tweeted in defense on Saturday night that targeting a runway made little sense and they were easily repaired. ||||| Libertarian-minded Republicans like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky blasted Trump's decision to launch strikes. | AP Photo Trump's Syria strikes divide Congress — but not along partisan lines 
 
 President Donald Trump’s missile attacks against the Syrian government on Thursday night split Congress into several camps, winning bipartisan backing from some senior lawmakers while also sparking a coalition of those on the left and right who raised constitutional concerns. 
 
 Congressional leaders in both parties largely signaled their support. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called Trump’s strikes “appropriate and just" and said he looks "forward to the administration further engaging Congress in this effort." 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 Top Democrats, like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) also offered their support, but both made clear they believed any escalation would require the approval of Congress. 
 
 “Tonight’s strike in Syria appears to be a proportional response to the regime’s use of chemical weapons," Pelosi said, but added, “The crisis in Syria will not be resolved by one night of airstrikes." Durbin said “any further action will require close scrutiny by Congress, and any escalation beyond airstrikes or missile strikes will require engaging the American people in that decision." 
 
 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Making sure Assad knows that when he commits such despicable atrocities he will pay a price is the right thing to do.” The New York Democrat added, though, that “it is incumbent on the Trump administration to come up with a strategy and consult with Congress before implementing it.” 
 
 Meanwhile, libertarian-minded Republicans like Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky blasted Trump's decision to launch strikes without first getting approval by Congress. 
 
 “The President needs congressional authorization for military action as required by the Constitution,” Paul said in a Tweet. 
 
 They were joined by liberal Democrats, including Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Rep. Ted Lieu of California, who also argued the use of force requires congressional approval under the Constitution. 
 
 Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who was the lone member of Congress to vote against the 2001 war authorization against Al Qaeda, called the strikes an “act of war” and said Congress needs to come back into session and debate the matter. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) called Trump's failure to seek congressional authorization "unlawful." 
 
 On the other side were Republican defense hawks, who offered full-throated praise for Trump’s decision — including Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, two of Trump’s fiercest GOP critics on other issues. 
 
 “Unlike the previous administration, President Trump confronted a pivotal moment in Syria and took action,” McCain and Graham said in a joint statement. “For that, he deserves the support of the American people.” 
 
 Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, another GOP defense hawk who has sometimes been critical of Trump, also issued a statement of support. 
 
 “By acting decisively against the very facility from which Assad launched his murderous chemical weapons attack, President Trump has made it clear to Assad and those who empower him that the days of committing war crimes with impunity are over,” Rubio said. 
 
 Congress and the White House have long been at odds over the president’s constitutional war powers. 
 
 Both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were authorized by Congress. But President Barack Obama did not seek congressional authorization for the 2011 military intervention in Libya. 
 
 Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. 
 
 Obama did seek authorization in 2013 for strikes against the Assad regime in Syria, though he maintained he had the power to order strikes without such an authorization. 
 
 Ultimately, Congress never acted on a resolution against the Syrian government amid significant opposition, and Obama did not launch strikes, instead pursuing diplomatic avenues for removing chemical weapons from Syria. 
 
 Many Republicans may find themselves in an awkward spot Friday as they justify their support for Trump's missile strike after suggesting similar actions by the Obama administration would be unconstitutional. 
 
 U.S. launches airstrikes in Syria poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201704/149/1155968404_5388955029001_5388944110001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true 
 
 Stalwart Trump ally Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), along with more than 100 colleagues, signed a 2013 letter that sharply warned Obama against a unilateral attack. "Engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution," they wrote. 
 
 Other GOP signatories included Rep. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, who applauded Trump as "decisive," and Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who commended Trump for his "swift action." A slew of other Republicans who praised Trump — including Don Young of Alaska, Martha Roby of Alabama, Roger Williams of Texas — opposed or leaned heavily against Obama's request to authorize the use of force in Syria while heaping praise on Trump Thursday night. 
 
 The Congressional Research Service addressed the issue of war powers in a report last month, noting that “in the post-Cold War world, presidents have continued to commit U.S. armed forces into potential hostilities, sometimes without a specific authorization from Congress.” 
 
 “It is generally agreed that the Commander-in-Chief role gives the President power to utilize the armed forces to repel attacks against the United States,” CRS said in its report. “But there has long been controversy over whether he is constitutionally authorized to send forces into hostile situations abroad without a declaration of war or other congressional authorization.” 
 
 The U.S. military has been conducting airstrikes in Syria since 2014, but these have been aimed at the Islamic State. The Obama and Trump administrations have cited as their legal justification for these strikes the authorization for use of military force passed by Congress after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 
 
 Thursday’s strike was the first U.S. military action targeting the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, which Trump cast as retaliation for Assad’s most recent chemical attack on his own people. 
 
 “Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched,” Trump said Thursday. “It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.” 
 
 Elana Schor, Seung Min Kim and Heather Caygle contributed to this report. 
 
 
 
 Members of Congress react to air strikes against Assad forces in Syria The United States launched air strikes against the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad on Thursday. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schemer, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Tim Kaine, and Sen. John McCain react to the U.S. missile strike. poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201704/685/1155968404_5389764671001_5389647039001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404"
– It's been awhile since "Brian Williams" and "controversy" have been uttered in the same sentence, but might as well take a crack at it again now that we're solidly in 2017. The MSNBC newscaster was among those providing commentary Thursday night after the US launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield, and while responses to the strike ran the gamut from "decisive" to "unlawful," Williams used a descriptor that few (if any others) did, per Adweek. "I am tempted to quote the great Leonard Cohen: 'I am guided by the beauty of our weapons,'" Williams waxed poetic (Variety notes it's a line from Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan"), as a video in the background showed the missiles hurtling from the US warships toward land. "They are beautiful pictures of fearsome armaments making what is for them what is a brief flight over to this airfield," he continued. But instead of swooning over his lyrical analysis, most of the internet came down on Williams for what appeared to be a glamorization of a wartime maneuver. One commenter called it "obscene enjoyment," while Matt Pearce of the Los Angeles Times called the segment "surreal." Others called Williams a "dope" or said he should be fired again. One person who didn't seem to mind Williams' take: Malcolm Nance, the intel expert who was on air with Williams during his soliloquy-like sermon. "He has an extremely calming effect in serious crises," tweeted Nance. (Congress members are split on how they feel about the strike.)