President Barack Obama asked Congress today to formally authorize military force against the Islamic State group, arguing the militants could pose a threat to the US homeland if their violent power grab goes unchecked and urging lawmakers to "show the world we are united in our resolve to counter the threat."
The president elected on a promise to end America's wars is sending Congress a proposed joint resolution to authorize military force against the swift rise of Islamic State extremists, who are imposing violent rule across Iraq and Syria and have brazenly killed US and allied hostages in brutal online propaganda videos.
In a five-paragraph letter to lawmakers accompanying the three-page draft resolution provided to The Associated Press, Obama said the Islamic State "poses a threat to the people and stability of Iraq, Syria and the broader Middle East and to US national security."
"It threatens American personnel and facilities located in the region and is responsible for the deaths of US citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller," he said, listing the American hostages who died in IS 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.
Obama's proposal launches an ideological debate over what authorities and limitations the president 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 US 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.
