Posted on 09/12/2014 8:05:46 AM PDT by Kaslin
In his address to the nation Wednesday night about how the United States is going to handle the growing ISIS threat, President Obama announced new airstrikes in Syria and called on Congress to give "input," but didn't ask for their authorization. Why? Apparently President Obama thinks he can use the authorization given to President George W. Bush in 2001 to go after al Qaeda. Legally, that move isn't panning out. Al Eli Lake over at the Daily Beast writes, Obama's latest war is probably illegal:
Obamas using the law that authorized attacks against al Qaeda to justify his new fight in Syria and Iraq. One small problem: ISIS and al Qaeda are at each others throats. Legal experts were shocked to learn Wednesday that the Obama administration wants to rely on that 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force against al Qaeda for the new ISIS war.
On its face this is an implausible argument because the 2001 AUMF requires a nexus to al Qaeda or associated forces of al Qaeda fighting the United States, said Robert Chesney, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law. Since ISIS broke up with al Qaeda its hard to make that argument.
Ideally, when beginning a new war like Obama is doing now, the president would ask Congress to declare it.
As a reminder, President Obama campaigned on asking Congress for war authorization back in 2008. My how things have changed.
Yesterday Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States isn't "at war" with ISIS but instead has launched a "counterterrorism" operation against the army. The White House echoed that statement. The administration won't admit Obama is starting a war for two reasons. The first is political in that it upset Obama's far left base. The second is that declaring war would require Obama to ask Congress for authorization, which in return would require the President to come up with a coherent strategy and be accountable to lawmakers for implementing that strategy as planned and promised. Obama doesn't want to answer to anyone, but especially Congress.
He really wants to be dictator
illegal??
who’s gonna stop him?
“Bush made me do it.”
Congress will not support the Kenyan’s pathetic “plan”. Except for idiots like Boehner.
He sure does, or he sees himself as emperor and therefore does not need to go before Congress
Republicans shouldn’t fight this. They should take it a step further. Declare war on the Islamic State! Put the declaration on obama’s desk! Then let’s see if he is serious about killing non-ilamic islamists.
Anything he does is Illegal.
Then he obviously hasn't read the Authorization, which basically holds Iraq accountable for violating the cease fire agreement of 1991.
If he were to sign, it would force the use of nuclear weapons by the U.S. military. Anything less would give aid and comfort to the enemy and would be regarded as (yet another act of) treason by Obama and his military leaders.
Liberal chant: War! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing!
Obama needs a “kinetic military action authorization”
as long as he can send other people’s kids over there to do whatever screwy thing his harvard military planners think the military is supposed to be able to do
This might be a good time to put Hagel’s first LGBQT unit into action on the frontline
So, Obama is using the authorization to fight Al Qaeda to attack the enemy of Al Qaeda. Thus providing support for Al Qaeda?
The Sunnis who we were protecting against the Shia genocide are now butchering the Shia. We are now on the Shia (and Iran) side against the people we were previously defending?
Both sides seem to hate us as well as each other.
The “We Have to do Something” crowd will go along with the Prevaricator-in Chief
Otherwise they will be rasis’ and people might not vote for them, at least that is what the RNC will tell them
democrats are not at war with ISIS, the only war they claim is the republicans WAR on women..
shame???
as you were!
He really wants to be dictatorIn most ways, he already is.
He does what he wants, violates laws, and ignores the Constitution without any real repercussions.
Kind of like the counter-drug campaign and the counter-poverty campaign.
I get it - no more war.
That’s like wanting to use an old condom on a different date.
It would also split Dems.
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