Senate panel considers delaying vote on Syria authorization

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee may delay a vote on an authorization for the use of military force in Syria that was expected on Wednesday, aides to committee members said, after some senators said they were unhappy with its wording. Senators from the 18-member committee were in a classified hearing on Syria on Wednesday with Secretary of State John Kerry and James Clapper, the director of national intelligence. Aides said they expected a decision after that session. The committee had been expected to vote on Wednesday in a business meeting starting at 11:30 a.m. EDT on a draft authorization for the use of force in Syria that is narrower than the request made by President Barack Obama. But some members, including the influential Republican Senator John McCain, said they were unhappy with the compromise crafted on Tuesday by Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, the committee's chairman, and Senator Bob Corker, the top Republican on the panel. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Vicki Allen)