Pres. Obama has already elevated and perpetuated the notion that the Executive decides when to war

[ProSense]

4. This is simply

"No matter if President Obama proceeds to order military strikes against Syria or not, he's already paved the way for a nation led to war without their consent."

...your own frame. The War Powers Resolution allows the President to act, but he must report to Congress within 60 days. Obama didn't set that precedent.

Clock Ticking on War Powers Resolution

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

<...>

Under the War Powers Resolution, when a president introduces troops into hostilities without prior authorization from lawmakers, he must withdraw them if 60 days pass and Congress has not since voted to approve the deployment. Pressed on several occasions this week to say whether the administration believes it is bound to comply with that requirement, several top officials demurred.

Attention to the issue swelled following an account in Talking Points Memo about a classified briefing with Congress by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on March 30. That report, however, was apparently overstated, according to Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat who questioned Mrs. Clinton at the closed-door meeting.

Citing an unnamed Republican lawmaker who attended, the report said Mrs. Clinton had said the administration “would forge ahead with military action in Libya even if Congress passed a resolution constraining the mission” and that she “plainly admitted the administration would ignore any and all attempts by Congress to shackle President Obama’s power as commander in chief to make military and wartime decisions.”

<...>

But in a phone interview, Mr. Sherman said that he had actually asked whether the administration believed it was bound to obey the 60-day deadline. And Mrs. Clinton gave no definitive response either way, he said.

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http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/clock-ticking-on-war-powers-resolution/

Going through Congress is a precedent, no matter how you slice it.

Congress, be careful what you wish for

By Steve Benen

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Over the last several days, members of Congress have spoken out with a variety of opinions about U.S. policy towards Syria, but lawmakers were in broad agreement about one thing: they wanted President Obama to engage Congress on the use of military force. Few expected the White House to take the requests too seriously...Because over the last several decades, presidents in both parties have increasingly consolidated authority over national security matters, tilting practically all power over the use of force towards the Oval Office and away from the legislative branch. Whereas the Constitution and the War Powers Act intended to serve as checks on presidential authority on military intervention abroad, there's been a gradual (ahem) drift away from these institutional norms...until this afternoon, when President Obama stunned everyone, announcing his decision to seek "authorization" from a co-equal branch of government.

It's one of those terrific examples of good politics and good policy. On the former, the American public clearly endorses the idea of Congress giving its approval before military strikes begin. On the latter, at the risk of putting too fine a point on this, Obama's move away from unilateralism reflects how our constitutional, democratic system of government is supposed to work.

Arguably the most amazing response to the news came from Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the chair of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterintelligence & Terrorism, and a member of the House Intelligence Committee:

"President Obama is abdicating his responsibility as commander-in-chief and undermining the authority of future presidents. The President does not need Congress to authorize a strike on Syria."

This is one of those remarkable moments when a prominent member of Congress urges the White House to circumvent Congress, even after many of his colleagues spent the week making the exact opposite argument.

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http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/08/31/20273174-congress-be-careful-what-you-wish-for

Crash Course: A Guide To 30 Years Of U.S. Military Strikes Against Other Nations
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/crash-course-a-guide-to-30-years-of-us-military-strikes-against-other-nations.php