NASHVILLE (AP) - State Democrats are criticizing Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey over a Twitter post that said President Barack Obama was trying to become an ally with al-Qaida in Syria.

Ramsey, a Blountville auctioneer, said in the tweet that "we must always remember who attacked us on our soil 12 years ago."

State Democratic Party Chairman Roy Herron called on Ramsey to fire whoever wrote the tweet, noting that Republicans U.S. Sen. Bob Corker and House Speaker John Boehner agreed with the president's call for a limited strike on Syria because of a chemical weapons attack. The president has since decided to pursue a diplomatic solution.

Opponents to the intervention have stressed that Syrian rebel elements include al-Qaida-affiliated militants.

A Ramsey spokesman issued a statement Thursday standing by the tweet.