Congress Ashamed Of Congress For Tending To Elections Before War Authorization Debate - HuffPo

[WillyT]

Congress Ashamed Of Congress For Tending To Elections Before War Authorization Debate
Jennifer Bendery & Sabrina Siddiqui - HuffPo
Posted: 09/18/2014 10:18 am EDT Updated: 09/18/2014 11:59 am EDT

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WASHINGTON -- Congress is ashamed of itself for tending to elections before having a war authorization vote. But they'll do it anyway.

A bipartisan faction of lawmakers has been demanding a vote to authorize President Barack Obama's military escalation against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Obama maintains he doesn't need a new authorization to expand U.S. military strikes against the terrorist group; indeed, the U.S. has already carried out 160 airstrikes in Iraq this summer and plans to expand into Syria. But some lawmakers disagree that the president has the authority under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force to carry out an open-ended campaign of airstrikes against the Islamic State, and argue that Congress must weigh in -- if not for legal reasons, then at least to show where they stand on the serious matter of going to war.

But with elections around the corner, many lawmakers aren't inclined to wade into a thorny debate about war authorization that could jeopardize their races. So the debate is being sidelined for two months, at a minimum, as political campaigns take hold. Not that members of Congress seem particularly surprised by their collective priorities.

"I find it an act of cowardice, but not astonishing," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

"Is it embarrassing? Yes," said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). "It's an election year. Self-preservation trumps national security."

Members leading the charge for a new, better tailored AUMF speculate it's more than the current election cycle that's sending colleagues running from the issue. U.S. military action against the Islamic State could extend into and even beyond 2016, and should things go awry, lawmakers are inclined to let the president take the fall.

"It's easier to be on the sidelines and, you know, if everything goes well, to say, 'I was always with you.' If not, you can say, 'Whoa, you blew it,'" said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.). "The fact that we're all taking great pains to do the absolute minimum to avoid an authorization ... is not only not doing our job, it's cowardice."

HuffPost talked to more than a dozen lawmakers about whether they thought Congress should stay in session to delve into the issue. Nearly everyone said yes...

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More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/congress-war-authorization-isis_n_5831408.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

[valerief]

1. Congress is shit. SCOTUS is shit. Admin is bipolar. DHS is the devil. nt

[WillyT]

2. So Far... I Cannot Disagree...

[WillyT]

3. Kick !!!