Obama calls for vote in Congress on ISIS war

President Obama on Tuesday urged Congress to grant him explicit authority to use military force against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against ISIL,” Obama said during his State of the Union address, using the other common acronym for the terror group.

{mosads}Democrats and Republicans for months have told the administration to seek a new authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) that targets ISIS, rather than relying on ones passed in 2001 and 2002 and directed at al Qaeda.

But Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has repeatedly said the onus is on the White House to send an authorization to lawmakers.

The message seemed to get through last week during a meeting with congressional leaders when the president supposedly said he would begin preparing draft language for the force authorization. 

However, Obama’s latest remarks seem to be a return to a standoff with lawmakers where the administration wants more input from Capitol Hill before it submits a draft and lawmakers sit back and wait for the president to make the first move. 

Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.), one of the most outspoken Democrats asking for a new authorization, said he was pleased Obama acknowledged the need for a new AUMF but also “disappointed he did not signal an intention to send a draft to Congress for consideration.”

“Congress as a whole will be better prepared to act with specific guidance from the administration on the language of an AUMF,” Kaine said in a statement. “I hope that guidance is forthcoming soon.”