Many people have been comparing President Donald Trump’s ongoing push for war on Iran to a similar course taken by President George W. Bush in regard to Iraq a little over twenty years ago. And there are definitely similarities including allegations against the targeted country related to weapons of mass destruction and the portraying of the targeted country’s political leadership as a major threat to Israel and even America.
Tag: authorization for use of military force
The days of congressional declarations of war are long gone, not passed for any of the many United States wars since World War II. In recent decades, Congress has passed authorizations for use of military force (AUMFs) to hand over to the executive branch discretion to choose to go to war against a certain county or to achieve a certain objective. AUMFs provide Congress members distance from the ensuing wars so they can duck responsibility or claim credit after reviewing measured public opinion.
Did the AUMF system reach a new low this week with the House of Representatives approving a resolution apparently authorizing the executive branch to go to war against Iran?
Earlier this year, United States House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) selected Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) to lead a House task force focused on dealing with Mexican drug cartels. Many Republican presidential candidates have over the last few months voiced support for US war on Mexico to counter Mexican drug cartels and in response to fentanyl entering the US from Mexico. Crenshaw, though, seems to want to take things much further.