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Buzz Cut:
• Obama builds hamster wheel for GOP on ISIS
• Union friction poses dangers for Dems ahead of 2016
• City of Independence set for Hillary coronation
• Gotcha: Dems pounce on Walker dodge on evolution
• ‘Happy birthday Princess’
OBAMA BUILDS HAMSTER WHEEL FOR GOP ON ISIS
The White House has made it clear that President Obama doesn’t think he needs an authorization from Congress to continue his limited air war against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria. Rather, the president would prefer to get congressional approval to send a message to allies and the enemy. As his brief remarks in support of his request reinforced, the requested authorization is seen by the administration as a procedural nicety, not a necessity. Democrats are already dropping, and more will follow. There is little chance that the president or congressional leaders will do much to force their own members into painful votes. The task of passing the president’s request will fall to – and bedevil – the Republican leaders who support military action against ISIS. The measure is already angering Republicans who see little reassurance about what they believe is a halfhearted war effort. And Obama has all but made clear that the status quo will persist at least as long as he is in office.
“What does he mean by defeat? I got degrade. What does he mean by defeat? Kill every last one of them? Is he talking about containment?” –Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., on “The Kelly File” Watch here.
Painful position – The president has got Republicans over a barrel, much in the same way that President George W. Bush had the advantage over Democrats in obtaining the current congressional authorization back in 2002. Republicans may not like what’s in Obama’s plan, but face enormous political consequences for not supporting the commander in chief at a time of war. And since Obama argues he doesn’t need the approval, there’s little leverage available to Republicans. The Constitution empowers the legislative branch to stop a president from fighting by denying funds for a war, but makes no provision for forcing a president to fight. After weeks of agonizing back and forth negotiating with themselves, Republicans will eventually have to accept something close to the initial gauzy request. At that point, Obama will happily drop it in his desk drawer and proceed as if it had never happened.
