The Obama Administration’s Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against ISIS has been losing momentum for awhile. Today, during House Armed Services testimony with top administration officials, the matter was barely discussed.
Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R – TX) says he believes the lack of talk about the AUMF is a sign that even the administration is “kind of moving beyond that” facing lack of support.
Legally speaking, a war authorization was supposed to come within 90 days of the war’s beginning, though the administration didn’t even offer a proposal until months later.
The bill was described by the White House as deliberately vague to give the president the ability to unilaterally do as he wishes. That cost him a lot of support from skeptics who wanted a AUMF with real limits, while hawks were still unhappy that the vague bill didn’t spell out how big the war would be.
In the Senate it seems like that bill may never get out of committee, and the comments from the House suggest they aren’t faring any better there. Either way, the war is likely to continue unauthorized.
"…the war is likely to continue unauthorized."
If Obama really wants to continue this war, all he has to do is issue orders to the military to stand down and start pulling everything out of Iraq – last I checked he is still the CIC, I guess. The warmongers in Congress will come unglued and things will get done…muy pronto. Or maybe not.
All kidding aside, the sad fact is that the USG for the past, oh let's say 50 years, has done nothing except create a multi-generational hatred for Americans. Our children, and children's children, etc., etc., etc., will suffer the reprisals instigated by the evil done by our generation.
what happen when the military drags its or simply ignores the order?
You start firing Generals and Admirals until you get to someone who can follow orders.
Or you can toss a pistol with one round chambered on the table and tell him if he's not going to follow orders he might want to save a lot of time and avoid the embarrassment of a very public trial during which he *will* lose his rank and pension. (A scene of this nature from the film "Enemy At The Gates" comes to mind)