Congress To Green-Light Perpetual Global War?

A bipartisan Authorization for the Use of Military Force introduced by Sens. Corker (R-TN) and Kaine (D-VA) is being celebrated as evidence that Congress has finally woken up from its slumber and is asserting its Constitutional obligations on matters of war and peace. Nothing could be further from the truth! This “reform” legislation only legalizes the currently unsustainable status quo, where the president can go to war anywhere and everywhere, against anyone he chooses, with no further Congressional approval needed. This bill makes matters far worse, in that Congress will not be able to easily stop the president’s new wars: under this new bill it will take a 2/3 vote to disapprove of any new presidential war! And still worse, it will allow the president to “declare war” on an individual person — even an American citizen! That means if the president determines an American who opposes US foreign policy in the Middle East (or any other peaceful citizen) is an “associated force” — a term not at all defined — that citizen can be killed or indefinitely detained on a whim. We break down this horrific new bill — fast-tracked to pass — in today’s Liberty Report: