http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/24/1332039/-Congress-shows-support-for-Obama-s-campaign-against-ISIS-by-doing-nothing?detail=email
Steve Benen flags how Republicans are responding to questions about why Congress hasn't been eager to have a debate or vote on a resolution authorizing President Obama's air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria:
Asked to explain why Congress is satisfied doing nothing, House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) office told Roll Call, “As the Speaker has said, he thinks it would be good for the country to have a new authorization for the use of military force covering our actions against ISIL, but traditionally such an authorization is requested and written by the commander-in-chief – and President Obama has not done that.” Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) added that Obama “should seek a new congressional authorization.”
That may sound like they are passing the buck, and on a rhetorical level they obviously are, but given that President Obama is acting without their authority, those statements are effectively statements of support for his actions. Why? Because not only do both Boehner and Cornyn say they support the strikes, they also don't challenge the president's view that he has the authority to conduct them.
There are some members of Congress—mostly Democrats, but a few Republicans—who are making the case the president is exceeding the bounds of his legal authority, but for the most part even they say they still support the underlying policy. The arguments that they are making are thus mainly legalistic.
doing nothing raises no flags but after months of demanding they be included which actually means they want PRES. to come hat in hand begging for their blessings, now the do nothing starts to get my hair on my neck up, are they not so subtly trying to set him up, by relinquishing the power they have cried about not receiving and hurting their jobs to the point of suing Pres. for just that to give it up in the middle of getting new lawyers who obviously want the money can't see congress being hurt by him doing what they refuse to when it's their job in the first place, if any thing there should be a counter suit for malfeasance.
so in light of this are they willing to kill this nuisance taxpayer money wasting law suit since they obviously have a change of mind or is this a not so clever plan to dump the suit and hope we forget the last few years of opposition to what they now agree with PRES. on? fiscally responsible???
