B. Hussein Obama wants a war.
I don’t think Obama wants a war, at least not with any branch or root of Islam. If he did he would ask Congress for a Declaration of War and get on with it.
I see this as elaborate Kabuki theater, and Republicans are very much complicit. That is, Obama’s request for AUMF is simply a way to generate a great deal of debate without ever forcing him to take action against Islamic jihad. This debate will stretch out over months while Obama sits on the sidelines and “leads from behind”.
If anyone was serious about eliminating terror from the world stage - at least for some period of time - Congress would (and should, IMO) declare war against Islamic terrorists wherever they are until they are defeated (eradicated).