More in Congress Demanding Vote on Syria War

Intelligence Committees Not Getting Intel

The Obama Administration is poised to attack Syria, and the US Congress remains in recess, with no plans to return before September 9. The White House has downplayed the notion of seeking a Congressional approval.

That’s not sitting well with a lot of members of Congress, and 116 of them have now signed a letter saying that Obama’s attack on Syria would be unconstitutional if launched without any Congressional authorization.

The White House has insisted they have “consulted” with members of Congress about the war, but even this is looking less and less honest, as members of both the House and Senate intelligence committees are saying they have not been kept properly informed about the putative intelligence underpinning this planned war.

Though a number of the dyed-in-the-wool hawks in Congress say they’re comfortable with the president starting wars whenever he feels like it, many are concerned at being kept totally out of the loop on the sudden decision to attack.

So long as they remain in recess, there’s probably no chance of Congress preempting the war. Still, there is a chance that when they get back in session they’ll seriously consider some repercussions for the administration’s aggression.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.