President Obama sends Congress proposal to formally authorize war against ISIS

President Obama on Wednesday released a proposal to formally authorize war against the Islamic State, while including limitations that would bar "enduring offensive ground combat operations."
The request kicks off what is likely to be a drawn-out debate in Congress, with hawkish lawmakers sure to push for a broader authorization and anti-interventionist voices seeking more limits. The White House insists it already has the authority to launch airstrikes against ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria, as the U.S. has been doing for months, but wants Congress to sign off in order to demonstrate American unity.

In a letter to lawmakers accompanying the request, Obama urged lawmakers to "show the world we are united in our resolve to counter the threat." The proposal, obtained by Fox News, would limit authorization to three years, with no restrictions on where U.S. forces could pursue the threat. However, the language bars "enduring offensive combat operations," an ambiguous term intended as compromise between lawmakers who want authority for ground troops and those who don't.
The letter from Obama says the authorization would not allow "long-term, large-scale ground combat operations like those" conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The proposed resolution itself nevertheless underscores the "grave threat" posed by ISIS, highlighting its atrocities in the region, including executions of American hostages and the "abduction, enslavement, torture, rape and forced marriage" of women and girls in the region.
"It threatens American personnel and facilities located in the region and is responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller," Obama said in his letter, listing the American hostages who died in ISIS custody. "If left unchecked, ISIL will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, including to the United States homeland."
Obama plans to speak on his request from the White House Wednesday afternoon, at 3:30 p.m.
Obama's proposal launches an ideological debate over what authorities and limitations the commander in chief should have in pursuit of the extremists, with the shadow of lost American lives hanging over its fate. Confirmation of the death of 26-year-old humanitarian worker Mueller on the eve of Obama's proposal added new urgency, while the costly long-running wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a caution to some lawmakers against yet another protracted military campaign.
Obama is offering to limit authorization to three years, extending to the next president the powers and the debate over renewal for what he envisions as a long-range battle. He is proposing no geographic limitations where U.S. forces could pursue the elusive militants. The authorization covers the Islamic State and "associated persons or forces," defined as those fighting on behalf of or alongside IS "or any closely-related successor entity in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners."
Obama's resolution would repeal a 2002 authorization for force in Iraq but maintain a 2001 authorization against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, although Obama said in his letter to lawmakers his goal is to refine and ultimately repeal that authorization as well.
"The authorization I propose would provide the flexibility to conduct ground combat operations in other more limited circumstances, such as rescue operations involving U.S. or coalition personnel or the use of special operations forces to take military action against ISIL leadership," Obama said, using an acronym for the group. "It would also authorize the use of U.S. forces in situations where ground combat operations are not expected or intended, such as intelligence collection and sharing, missions to enable kinetic strikes or the provision of operational planning and other forms of advice and assistance to partner forces."
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he appreciated the president seeking the authorization and would quickly begin holding "rigorous hearings" on the White House request.
"Voting to authorize the use of military force is one of the most important actions Congress can take, and while there will be differences, it is my hope that we will fulfill our constitutional responsibility, and in a bipartisan way, pass an authorization that allows us to confront this serious threat," Corker said.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the provision would allow special operations missions, such as potential raids targeting Islamic State leaders and the failed attempt last summer to rescue the 26-year-old Mueller and other hostages held by the group. "It's impossible to envision every scenario where ground combat troops might be necessary," Earnest told the Associated Press in the White House's first interview laying out its case for the resolution.
Obama argues the congressional authorizations President George W. Bush used to justify military action after 9/11 are sufficient for him to deploy more than 2,700 U.S. troops to train and assist Iraqi security forces and conduct ongoing airstrikes against targets in Iraq and Syria. Critics have said Obama is overstepping outdated authorities to target the new threat from militants imposing a violent form of Sharia law in pursuit of the establishment of an Islamic state.
 President Barack Obama asked Congress on Wednesday to formally authorize the use of military force in the war against ISIS, the first time a U.S. President has asked for such authorization in 13 years.

Lawmakers on Wednesday morning received a draft Authorization for the Use of Military Force, a resolution that would formally authorize a six-month U.S. military effort against the militant group. Shortly after the request was sent to the Hill, the White House announced Obama would speak to the public on the issue Wednesday afternoon.

The joint resolution would limit the President's authority to wage a military campaign against ISIS to three years and does not authorize "enduring offensive ground combat operations," according to text of the resolution.

In a letter to Congress, Obama explained that the draft resolution would give him the authority to authorize "ground combat operations in limited circumstances," including rescue operations and special forces operations to "take military action against ISIL leadership."

The resolution would also sunset the 2002 AUMF that spawned the Iraq War. Obama withdrew American troops from Iraq in 2011, but the military authorization remains in effect.

The resolution drafted by the White House does not repeal the 2001 military force authorization that has served as the legal justification for the military campaign against ISIS and other U.S. military efforts to combat terrorism around the world.

The document also specifically notes that ISIS poses a "grave threat" to U.S. national security interests and regional stability.

And Obama detailed the ISIS threat in a letter to Congress accompanying the draft legislation.

"The so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses a threat to the people and stability of Iraq, Syria, and the broader Middle East, and to U.S. national security," Obama writes. "It threatens American personnel and facilities located in the region and is responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens"

As in the draft resolution, Obama goes on to name the Americans killed in ISIS captivity, "including James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller."

There is broad support in Congress for a formal AUMF, though lawmakers disagree on the scope of the military powers that should be handed to the President.

House Republican leaders were quick to dismiss the White House draft authorization as too limited, insisting that the President should have fewer limitations.

"If we are going to defeat this enemy, we need a comprehensive military strategy and a robust authorization, not one that limits our options," House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement Tuesday. "Any authorization for the use of military force must give our military commanders the flexibility and authorities they need to succeed and protect our people...I have concerns that the president's request does not meet this standard."

Boehner's No.2, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, echoed Boehner's support for an AUMF as well as his criticism of the limits the White House's draft would impose.

"I am prepared to support an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that provides new legal authorities to go after ISIL and other terrorist groups. However, I will not support efforts that impose undue restrictions on the U.S. military and make it harder to win," McCarthy said in a statement.

Obama urged Congress during his State of the Union address to formally authorize the military campaign to "show the world that we are united in this mission."

As he has said in the past, Obama noted in his letter to Congress Wednesday that he already has the authority to fight ISIS, "I have repeatedly expressed my commitment to working with the Congress to pass a bipartisan authorization for the use of military force" against ISIS.

Obama also stressed that the White House's draft resolution would constrain the U.S. military effort and would not authorize "long-term, large-scale ground combat operations" like in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While Obama did not repeal the 2001 military authorization, he explained in his letter that he remains "committed to working with Congress and the American people to refine, and ultimately repeal, the 2001 AUMF."