Page 5 - Aruba Today
P. 5
U.S. NEWS A5
Monday 9 November 2015
Congress dodging war powers despite US mission in Syria
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker, conflict in Syria. powers legislation.
R-Tenn., speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. In “I think we are seeing an On Friday, a bipartisan
the fight against the Islamic State group, members of Congress example of mission creep group of 35 House
talk tough on extremism, but most want nothing to do with voting right now,” said Republican members called on new
to legally authorize the military campaign, preferring to let the Rep. Tom Cole, who signed Speaker Paul Ryan to
president take ownership of the mission. the letter calling for a schedule and debate on a
new AUMF. “I think we war authorization as quickly
(AP Photo/Cliff Owen) should go ahead. We are as possible in light of the
gradually ceding over our United States’ “deepening
DEB RIECHMANN for it.’” war-making authority to entanglement in Syria and
The vote in 2002 to the president. Big mistake. Iraq.”
Associated Press authorize the invasion of No matter which side Sen. Bob Corker, chairman
Iraq was politically perilous you are on, you ought of the Foreign Relations
WASHINGTON (AP) — In for many lawmakers — to want Congress to do Committee, has asked the
and is shadowing 2016 this. And you ought to be Obama administration to
the fight against the Islamic presidential candidates able to hold your member brief committee members
today. accountable for how they as early as next week on
“I know lawmakers who ultimately vote.” the legal justifications for
still go over to Arlington After Obama announced recent deployments to
Cemetery — to the late last month that he Syria and elsewhere.
gravesites of folks killed in was deploying some Generally, conservatives
the Iraq War and wonder 50 Special Operations want Congress to approve
‘Why did I vote for this?’” forces to northern Syria, broad authorities for the
Kaine said. lawmakers released a president to fight IS militants
Fellow Democratic Sen. flurry of statements urging with no limits on ground
Chris Murphy agreed, passage of new war troops. q
saying crafting a plan to
State group, members fight IS isn’t easy. “It’s very
convenient for Congress
of Congress talk tough just to force the president
to do it and blame him if it
against extremism, but fails,” Murphy said. “If we
pass an AUMF, then we
many want to run for cover own the strategy.”
To fight IS, Obama has
when it comes to voting on relied on congressional
authorizations given to
new war powers to fight President George W.
Bush for the war on al-
the militants, preferring to Qaida and the invasion
of Iraq. Critics say the
let the president own the White House’s use of
post-9/11 congressional
battle. authorizations is a legal
stretch at best. And they
They might not be able to note that the battle has
grown exponentially.
avoid a vote for long. Since August 2014, the
U.S.-led coalition has
The U.S. military conducted nearly 8,000
airstrikes in Iraq and
intervention in Iraq and Syria. There are 3,400 U.S.
military personnel currently
Syria is creeping forward, deployed to Iraq. More
than $4.7 billion has been
putting more pressure on spent so far in fighting IS.
The exodus of refugees
Congress to vote on a new from Syria has intensified
and Russia has entered the
Authorization for the Use of
Military Force. It would
be the first war vote in
Congress in 13 years.
Democratic Sen. Tim
Kaine, a leading force
in the Senate for a new
authorization measure,
said the reluctance to vote
runs deep and that many in
Congress prefer to criticize
President Barack Obama’s
policy in Iraq and Syria
without either authorizing
or stopping the fight.
“There is sort of this belief
that if we do not vote, we
cannot be held politically
accountable. We can
just blame the president,”
Kaine said.
“We are forcing people
to be deployed far from
home in a theater of
war, and risking their lives
and losing their lives and
members of Congress are
like ‘I’m afraid of this vote
because somebody might
try to hold me accountable
