What Once Was Old, is New Again.

[Kulaf]

http://news.msn.com/us/can-obama-wage-w ... congress-1

Using the AUMF to justify new strikes against ISIL in Iraq. Interesting.

[Ddrak]

Very interesting. I don't see why he wouldn't just go to Congress - it would be a hard one to turn down.

Dd

[Kulaf]

It protects Executive power. Having to report to Congress is all part of the War Powers Act which imo is not Constitutional.

[Ddrak]

War costs money. Congress controls the money.

Dd

[Kulaf]

True. However they do not have the right to usurp the Presidents role as Commander of the military. If they want to defund the military that is within their power.

[Ddrak]

Which leads to an interesting question - how much determination should Congress in general get on the direction of funds allocated?

Dd

[Arathena]

Very interesting. I don't see why he wouldn't just go to Congress - it would be a hard one to turn down.

Dd

Congress doesn't want to vote; the House Republicans want to wash their hands of all responsibility so that they can bitch about whatever Obama does, no matter what he does.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

That's pretty disingenuous.

Look at how many times the House has taken action on things just for it to die in the Senate.

[Partha]

Which leads to an interesting question - how much determination should Congress in general get on the direction of funds allocated?

All of it. Period, end stop. Article I, section 8:

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

One of my big teeth gnashers when Bush was conducting his blatantly illegal war was that he took funds Congress authorized for Afghanistan operations and used it to move troops to Kuwait. Of course, fine upstanding citizens who wanted Saddam dead didn't care about niceties beforehand, did they?

[Kulaf]

*Necro Cat winces at the beating from Partha*