Daily Kos Quotes NSN on the Islamic State AUMF

Okaying an AUMF against ISIL may prove impossible, but that won’t stop U.S. military action

By Meteor Blades
February 13, 2015 | Daily Kos

As worded, President Obama’s proposed authorization to use military force against the murderous extremists of ISIL would guarantee more years of perpetual war. It would permit attacks against a wide range of targets. It would set no effective curb over the use of combat troops. It would not repeal the broad 2001 “war on terror” AUMF that has been used to take military action pretty much anywhere the Bush and Obama administrations have chosen. Congress ought to reject the ISIL AUMF in its current form and repeal not just the 2002 Iraq AUMF as Obama’s proposal would do, but the 2001 AUMF as well.

But the idea that authorizations for force ought to have few or no limits is belied by the historical record. The National Security Network, whose advisory board is chaired by Samuel Berger—a national security adviser to President Bill Clinton—points out that in 35 authorizations for the use of force since 1819, many contained time limits, geographic limits and operational limits on the kinds of forces used.

For the original piece, click here.

Read the original NSN report, click here. 

Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo