The Authorization for the Use of Military Force that president Obama sent to Congress the other day has a series of limitations in the document. In the past, declarations of war (which this is) just said that the USA was at war with a nation (or a group like al Qaeda) and authorized the president to take the necessary actions to prosecute that war. The latest proposal from Obama, however, puts a time limit on the authorization (3 years) and also bars the use of American ground forces in sustained offensive operations (whatever that means). In other words, it's a go ahead to let Obama wage a three year defensive only war.
The AUMF proposed by Obama is bizarre enough, but the left wing base of the Democrat party wants more restrictions. Writing in The Nation, some genius named George Zornick warns that there is no geographical limitation in the proposed authorization. Zornick is horrified that the AUMF could be used to fight ISIS in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Afghanistan and the Philippines which are all places where ISIS is (or is reputed to be) active. Zornick wants limitations even though that would give ISIS safe havens where the terrorists can hide from the short term defensive efforts that the AUMF will actually allow.
It still amazes me after years of watching the left in action that there are people like Zornick who really believe this stuff. It is as if history and reality don't exist. In their minds, if Congress limits the fight against ISIS to just Iraq and/or Syria, then ISIS will also limit activities to just those countries. Just imagine the declaration of war in World War II against Germany. It was not limited in geography. Our forces fought the Germans in multiple countries in Africa, Asia and Europe as well as on the oceans of the world. When our troops landed in North Africa in the then French colonies, it was not with the approval of the government in Paris. Our forces landed and together with the British and other allies chased the Germans across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya and out of North Africa. When our forces fought the Japanese, we did not limit ourselves to fighting on only certain of the islands in the Pacific. Even in the fight against al Qaeda, we did not limit our forces. Obama himself has used drone strikes and bombers to hit al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere.
I know that people like Zornick have the right to free speech and to their own opinions. Still, it is annoying that such stupidity gets published as if it is something other than complete nonsense. That's wrong. This is truly about as nonsensical as anything could get.
The AUMF proposed by Obama is bizarre enough, but the left wing base of the Democrat party wants more restrictions. Writing in The Nation, some genius named George Zornick warns that there is no geographical limitation in the proposed authorization. Zornick is horrified that the AUMF could be used to fight ISIS in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Afghanistan and the Philippines which are all places where ISIS is (or is reputed to be) active. Zornick wants limitations even though that would give ISIS safe havens where the terrorists can hide from the short term defensive efforts that the AUMF will actually allow.
It still amazes me after years of watching the left in action that there are people like Zornick who really believe this stuff. It is as if history and reality don't exist. In their minds, if Congress limits the fight against ISIS to just Iraq and/or Syria, then ISIS will also limit activities to just those countries. Just imagine the declaration of war in World War II against Germany. It was not limited in geography. Our forces fought the Germans in multiple countries in Africa, Asia and Europe as well as on the oceans of the world. When our troops landed in North Africa in the then French colonies, it was not with the approval of the government in Paris. Our forces landed and together with the British and other allies chased the Germans across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya and out of North Africa. When our forces fought the Japanese, we did not limit ourselves to fighting on only certain of the islands in the Pacific. Even in the fight against al Qaeda, we did not limit our forces. Obama himself has used drone strikes and bombers to hit al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere.
I know that people like Zornick have the right to free speech and to their own opinions. Still, it is annoying that such stupidity gets published as if it is something other than complete nonsense. That's wrong. This is truly about as nonsensical as anything could get.
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