Two weeks ago, president Obama said that he had three matters he wanted to see accomplished during the current short session of Congress. One of these three is approval of a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force for the fight against ISIS. At the moment, Obama bases the legal justification which allows American troops to fight ISIS upon the AUMF passed after 9-11. The problem, of course, with that approach is that according to Obama, ISIS did not exist at the time the AUMF was passed by Congress, so it is hard to see how ISIS could have been included among those against whom the use of force was approved. Quite appropriately, Obama wanted Congress to pass a new AUMF.
This may not seem like much, but it is actually quite important. The Constitution says that only Congress can authorize a war, and that has not happened with regard to ISIS. Nevertheless, we have American air power pounding ISIS targets and American troops "advising" Iraqi forces in the field. If we are to respect the Constitution, Congress needs to act.
The problem right now, however, is that there is no chance of passage of an AUMF during this current lame duck session. The fault lies entirely with the president and his administration. Both the Republican and the Democrat leadership in Congress called upon Obama to tell Congress what he wants in the way of an AUMF. Obama and his people remained silent. Senator Menedez of New Jersey scheduled a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to consider an AUMF, but that had to be cancelled when neither the secretary of state or the secretary of defense would agree to come to testify about what the administration wants in the AUMF.
That leaves us with only two choices: 1) when Obama said that he wants a new AUMF, he was being dishonest and only saying something he thought would sound good; or 2) Obama and his administration are so incompetent that they cannot even come up with the points they want in an AUMF. I actually think that both choices are correct. Clearly, Obama does not care about the Constitution. I could go on and on about that, but by now I believe that you all can see that point. As a result, Obama really does not care about the AUMF. Further, Obama has been the most incompetent president in dealing with Congress since Andrew Johnson was impeached.
No matter what the reason, however, the USA is still fighting a war with ISIS absent a proper legal basis. When Congress reconvenes in January, the Republican leadership ought to draft its own AUMF and pass it without bothering to consult with the White House. After all, why waste the time.
This may not seem like much, but it is actually quite important. The Constitution says that only Congress can authorize a war, and that has not happened with regard to ISIS. Nevertheless, we have American air power pounding ISIS targets and American troops "advising" Iraqi forces in the field. If we are to respect the Constitution, Congress needs to act.
The problem right now, however, is that there is no chance of passage of an AUMF during this current lame duck session. The fault lies entirely with the president and his administration. Both the Republican and the Democrat leadership in Congress called upon Obama to tell Congress what he wants in the way of an AUMF. Obama and his people remained silent. Senator Menedez of New Jersey scheduled a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to consider an AUMF, but that had to be cancelled when neither the secretary of state or the secretary of defense would agree to come to testify about what the administration wants in the AUMF.
That leaves us with only two choices: 1) when Obama said that he wants a new AUMF, he was being dishonest and only saying something he thought would sound good; or 2) Obama and his administration are so incompetent that they cannot even come up with the points they want in an AUMF. I actually think that both choices are correct. Clearly, Obama does not care about the Constitution. I could go on and on about that, but by now I believe that you all can see that point. As a result, Obama really does not care about the AUMF. Further, Obama has been the most incompetent president in dealing with Congress since Andrew Johnson was impeached.
No matter what the reason, however, the USA is still fighting a war with ISIS absent a proper legal basis. When Congress reconvenes in January, the Republican leadership ought to draft its own AUMF and pass it without bothering to consult with the White House. After all, why waste the time.
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