Obama to ask Congress for authorization to bomb Syria

President Obama has just finished speaking in the Rose Garden on action against Syria. While I am unconvinced that he made a strategic case for the war, that is not of primary concern right now.

There are three crucial points before us from his remarks:

1. The objectives can be obtained whether the strikes are carried out now or a month from now.

2. He will seek authorization by vote from the Congress when it return from recess on Sept. 9.

3. He says he has authority as commander in chief to bomb Syria without Congress' authority.

Point 1 clearly means that Obama has shifted away from "the fierce urgency of bombing now."

Point 2 is simply a Constitutional requirement, but it is pretty baffling that he is not calling the Congress back from recess to take up the debate. Obama has shifted, apparently, from "it must be done now!" to "whenever."

Point 3 is simply wrong. Within context of all his remarks, he seemed to say that is going to Congress as a concession to public opinion and Congressional communications rather than a Constitutional requirement. He also left the door open for ordering war against Syria even if Congress votes against it.

If he does that, it will be a true Constitutional crisis. There is a difference between Congress passively allowing the president to make war against a nation without its authority (as in Libya, 2011) and expressly forbidding the war that the president starts anyway.

Nonetheless, this is a definite move in the right direction for this proposed war, so let us be thankful for it.

You and I now have time to contact our own senators and representatives about this impending vote.