WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday sent a formal letter to Congress asking for authorization of military action against the Islamic State. The request would prohibit the use of “enduring offensive ground forces” and limit engagement to three years.
The approach offers what the White House hopes is a middle way on Capitol Hill for those on the right and left who remain deeply skeptical of its plans to thwart extremist groups.
The request opens what is expected to be a monthslong debate over presidential war powers and the wisdom of committing to another unpredictable mission in the Middle East while the nation is still struggling with the consequences of two prolonged wars.
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With the exception of some more libertarian-leaning lawmakers who will oppose the president because they object in principle to getting involved in another war, Mr. Obama’s biggest problems may not be with Republicans but with Democrats.
The sharpest debate is likely to focus on the prohibition of “enduring offensive ground operations” and whether that term is so vague that it could allow Mr. Obama or a future president to launch the kind of ground war that so many lawmakers fear. Because the president would not need to go back to Congress to seek another Islamic State force authorization until 2017, the legislation would cover the next president as well.
“Unless that is further defined, that might be seen as too big a statement to ultimately embrace,” said Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee. “Because forget about Barack Obama. There will be a new president in two years. And this authorization would go into that new presidency.”
