Dianne
02-06-2016, 07:57 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mitch-mcconnell-isis-aumf_us_56b4c569e4b04f9b57d94869
Alex Jones swears the unlimited war powers act will lead to Obama declaring martial law in the U.S.
WASHINGTON -- The guy who's been saying for months that he doesn't want to deal with declaring war on the self-described Islamic State surprised everyone a couple of weeks ago and unveiled a bill to give the president sweeping new authority to fight the group.
Not only that, but the guy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), used a procedural rule to bypass committees and tee up the bill for a floor vote at any time.
What's going on here?
It's called strategery. It's also called nothing is actually happening.
McConnell has no plans to give his bill a vote. He also didn't introduce it so GOP senators running for president could sign onto it and look tough on national security, though Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is one of its co-sponsors. McConnell's real aim is to call President Barack Obama's bluff in demanding that Congress pass a new authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
Obama has been pressing lawmakers on the issue for more than a year. Since August 2014, he's been relying on an old AUMF from 2001 as his legal authority for launching strikes against ISIS without congressional signoff. Nobody particularly likes that he's using a 9/11-era war authorization for a new fight -- some say it's illegal -- but that's how the military campaign will plod along unless Congress passes a new one.
The problem is that many lawmakers just don't want to vote on dicey matters of war. They also don't agree on what a new AUMF should look like. Democrats, including Obama, want parameters on it, like limits on geography and the use of U.S. ground combat troops. Republicans don't really want any limits on it. Throw into the mix that GOP leaders aren't making this a priority issue and you've got a standstill on Capitol Hill, something the White House regularly complains about.
Here's where McConnell comes in. He doesn't want to spend time debating an AUMF, but it's pretty frustrating getting called out over and over again for failing to address the issue. So he introduced a bill that Obama can't possibly support: It would give the president unlimited war powers, with no restrictions on duration, geography or use of U.S. ground troops. It wouldn't repeal the 2001 AUMF or another unexpired AUMF from 2002 that authorized the Iraq War. McConnell's proposal is, in essence, the AUMF of all AUMFs.
McConnell's move puts the White House in a defensive position. If Obama wants an AUMF so badly, would he accept the GOP leader's proposal, which would get the job done but dramatically redefine the concept of war without end? McConnell's thinking is no, so why not dangle that AUMF out there as a reminder that Republicans are ready to act, on their terms.
Two senior GOP aides confirmed this is McConnell's strategy.
Alex Jones swears the unlimited war powers act will lead to Obama declaring martial law in the U.S.
WASHINGTON -- The guy who's been saying for months that he doesn't want to deal with declaring war on the self-described Islamic State surprised everyone a couple of weeks ago and unveiled a bill to give the president sweeping new authority to fight the group.
Not only that, but the guy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), used a procedural rule to bypass committees and tee up the bill for a floor vote at any time.
What's going on here?
It's called strategery. It's also called nothing is actually happening.
McConnell has no plans to give his bill a vote. He also didn't introduce it so GOP senators running for president could sign onto it and look tough on national security, though Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is one of its co-sponsors. McConnell's real aim is to call President Barack Obama's bluff in demanding that Congress pass a new authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
Obama has been pressing lawmakers on the issue for more than a year. Since August 2014, he's been relying on an old AUMF from 2001 as his legal authority for launching strikes against ISIS without congressional signoff. Nobody particularly likes that he's using a 9/11-era war authorization for a new fight -- some say it's illegal -- but that's how the military campaign will plod along unless Congress passes a new one.
The problem is that many lawmakers just don't want to vote on dicey matters of war. They also don't agree on what a new AUMF should look like. Democrats, including Obama, want parameters on it, like limits on geography and the use of U.S. ground combat troops. Republicans don't really want any limits on it. Throw into the mix that GOP leaders aren't making this a priority issue and you've got a standstill on Capitol Hill, something the White House regularly complains about.
Here's where McConnell comes in. He doesn't want to spend time debating an AUMF, but it's pretty frustrating getting called out over and over again for failing to address the issue. So he introduced a bill that Obama can't possibly support: It would give the president unlimited war powers, with no restrictions on duration, geography or use of U.S. ground troops. It wouldn't repeal the 2001 AUMF or another unexpired AUMF from 2002 that authorized the Iraq War. McConnell's proposal is, in essence, the AUMF of all AUMFs.
McConnell's move puts the White House in a defensive position. If Obama wants an AUMF so badly, would he accept the GOP leader's proposal, which would get the job done but dramatically redefine the concept of war without end? McConnell's thinking is no, so why not dangle that AUMF out there as a reminder that Republicans are ready to act, on their terms.
Two senior GOP aides confirmed this is McConnell's strategy.