Obama Asks Congress to Authorize Another Endless War
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/02/11/obama-asks-congress-authorize-another-endless-war
"Obama has to decide on his legacy," said Phyllis Bennis. "Does he want the legacy that he was the president to end wars, or does he want to be present to make wars endless?
Obama Asks Congress to Authorize Another Endless War
Sarah Lazare, staff writer
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
President Barack Obama on Wednesday formally asked Congress for expansive authorization of the U.S.-led war on ISIS, including a green-light for open-ended and geographically limitless military operations.
While lawmakers in Washington discuss details of the proposed authorization for use of military force (AUMF), analysts point out that meaningful debate about the war itself has been left completely off the table.
"This shows that Congress is not even debating the issue of force," Phyllis Bennis, senior fellow at Institute for Policy Studies, told Common Dreams. "They are simply debating some small questions of limits or not limits."
Raed Jarrar, expert on Middle East politics and Policy Impact Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee, told Common Dreams that the text of Obama's proposed AUMF is a "worst case scenario" because it "doesn't place any limitations on war."