“…this war against ISIL has mutated…”
As President Obama finally conceded that he wants to put American boots on the ground in Syria, some believe the legal authority he used to start the war against ISIS is questionable.
One of those men is Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (D). Speaking to Chuck Todd on Thursday’s “Meet the Press Daily,” Kaine remarked:
“The president started the battle August 8, 2014, unilaterally, since Congress was in recess… The president said ‘I want to protect the embassy and protect Mt. Sinjar Yazidis from a humanitarian crisis, this is what we’re going to do.’
“What has happened since then, in nearly 16 months, this war against ISIL has mutated. It’s not just Iraq and Syria, it’s also ISIL presence in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, now potentially the Sinai. We’ve even deployed troops to Cameroon to be positioned against Boko Haram.”
Kaine added that the U.S. has lost American hostages, had one combat death, spent more than $4.7 billion in the war against ISIS, yet Congress has still not authorized the war. The operation against ISIS is 16 months old.
Kaine concluded:
“I view of the legal authority of it as very, very questionable now.”
Kaine has been a vocal opponent of President Obama’s campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria – or at least the administration’s refusal to ask for Congress’ authorization.
Source: Senate Democrat Goes on MSNBC and… Hammers Obama Foreign Policy
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