Democrat: Get Congress's permission
A senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee says President Obama should seek congressional authorization to extend airstrikes against Islamic terrorists to locations in Syria.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also says Obama should seek authorization to prolong airstrikes in Iraq against fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
However, if the president intends to prolong the military campaign in Iraq or extend it into Syria, he needs to make the case directly to the American people and secure authorization from Congress, he said in a statementTuesday.
Lawmakers are divided over whether Obama should seek authorization. Several bills have been suggested to grant authorization, but other members say that if Obama presents a good strategy for tackling the terrorists, there is no need for a vote.
Schiff acknowledged that Americans are repulsed and enraged by ISISs murder of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and the horrors committed against the people of Iraq and Syria.
But Congress must carefully consider what it is being asked to approve regarding a military campaign that will extend from this presidency to the next, he said.Since the actions contemplated by the president go well beyond the immediate imperative of protecting Americans at risk, Congress is required to act."
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Democrat: Get Congress's permission