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Obama Sends Congress Draft War Authorization
Obama Sends Congress Draft War Authorization
2/11/2015
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday formally asked Congress for new war authority to fight Islamic State militants.
Obama's request came in the form of a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force. It's a retroactive request: Congress is receiving the document six months after the U.S. began bombing the Islamic State group, also called ISIS. The president has said he believes he already has the authority to go after the group -- citing a sweeping 2001 AUMF as his legal grounds to act unilaterally -- but welcomes congressional signoff. Some lawmakers don't think he currently has the authority.
The proposed AUMF would limit military action against the Islamic State to three years and allow limited use of U.S. ground troops for things like rescue operations or intelligence sharing. It would put no geographic limitations on the military campaign; instead, it would limit military action to countering the Islamic State and associated forces. It would also repeal a 2002 Iraq War AUMF that never expired, but it would leave in place the broad 2001 AUMF. The new AUMF would sunset in three years.
Republicans don't want to restrict the president's ability to fight the Islamic State, so many won't like the limits on U.S. ground troops.
Democrats, meanwhile, are wary of mistakes made in the Iraq War and want tight limits on the use of troops. Some won't like that the 2001 AUMF is left in place, and some have already raised concerns with the AUMF's language dictating when U.S. ground troops can't be used: in "enduring offensive ground combat operations."...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/11/obama-aumf-congress-isis_n_6660208.html
2/11/2015
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday formally asked Congress for new war authority to fight Islamic State militants.
Obama's request came in the form of a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force. It's a retroactive request: Congress is receiving the document six months after the U.S. began bombing the Islamic State group, also called ISIS. The president has said he believes he already has the authority to go after the group -- citing a sweeping 2001 AUMF as his legal grounds to act unilaterally -- but welcomes congressional signoff. Some lawmakers don't think he currently has the authority.
The proposed AUMF would limit military action against the Islamic State to three years and allow limited use of U.S. ground troops for things like rescue operations or intelligence sharing. It would put no geographic limitations on the military campaign; instead, it would limit military action to countering the Islamic State and associated forces. It would also repeal a 2002 Iraq War AUMF that never expired, but it would leave in place the broad 2001 AUMF. The new AUMF would sunset in three years.
Republicans don't want to restrict the president's ability to fight the Islamic State, so many won't like the limits on U.S. ground troops.
Democrats, meanwhile, are wary of mistakes made in the Iraq War and want tight limits on the use of troops. Some won't like that the 2001 AUMF is left in place, and some have already raised concerns with the AUMF's language dictating when U.S. ground troops can't be used: in "enduring offensive ground combat operations."...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/11/obama-aumf-congress-isis_n_6660208.html
Also see~
Obama Seeks Broad Powers to Wage Geographically Limitless War On ISIS
Analysts raise alarm at presidential proposal for congressional authorization, which would allow for further troop deployments and years of intervention
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/02/10/obama-seeks-broad-powers-wage-geographically-limitless-war-isis
