Stray Voltage Alert: A New Authorization For Use Of Military Force

I posted a little earlier today on the concept of stray voltage and how the administration is trying to use it to distract from its manifest failures. Stray voltage is the use of a contrived crisis or controversy to drive the real issues off the front pages of newspapers and out of news programming. As Obama was haranguing us on Sunday night over our racism and Islamophobia, he said this:

Finally, if Congress believes, as I do, that we are at war with ISIL, it should go ahead and vote to authorize the continued use of military force against these terrorists. For over a year, I have ordered our military to take thousands of airstrikes against ISIL targets. I think it’s time for Congress to vote to demonstrate that the American people are united, and committed, to this fight.

You will hear more about this in the coming weeks as Obama, and his evil minion One-Eyed Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) 11%, will be mewling and bleating about how a new AUMF is necessary for the nation to fight ISIS.

Fact. The President is the Commander-in-Chief.

Fact. So long as Congress funds the military, that is all the authority the President needs.

Why don’t we have a new AUMF? Back in February, Obama submitted a draft AUMF to Congress. No one liked it. The Democrats claimed that the AUMF greatly expanded the power of the president but they had a different fear:

If the proposal is rejected, and if no AUMF emerges that satisfies both Congress and the White House, the President’s legacy will be characterized by a controversial interpretation of the AUMF that significantly expands the Forever War.  And he will not be able to blame Congress, since he extended the Forever War unilaterally last Fall, and because the presidential proposal that Congress rejected would have expanded it yet further.

Republican, rightly, understood that the proposed AUMF was structured to do absolutely nothing and give Obama cover by being able to say he was only doing what Congress had authorized.

For instance, the AUMF is limited to three years. Do we really think ISIS will be eradicated in three years? How about this:

The authority granted in subsection (a) does not authorize the use of the United States Armed Forces in enduring offensive ground combat operations.

Why would you tell ISIS the limits of our operations? What if, as it is appearing obvious, that ISIS isn’t going to succumb to a handful of airstrikes each day, most of which are called back for fear of creating civilian casualties?

So get ready for the drumbeat demanding the Congress approve an AUMF to allow the fight to proceed. Just keep in mind we are fighting now with out an AUMF and that all Obama wants this new authorization for is as political cover.

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