This is basically why we worked for him to win the nomination in 2008, although we’re not out of the woods, yet.
At 7 p.m. Friday, Mr. Obama called his top aides into his office, including National Security Adviser Susan Rice, to inform them of his plans. Aides say Mr. Obama came up with the idea himself to seek an authorization.
Many insiders were stunned because of the risk Congress will say “no.” “You have to win the vote. You have to win,” one senior administration official said after the decision was disclosed. “If Congress doesn’t let him act, the consequences for him and for the country’s standing in the world are enormous.”
Later Friday night, Mr. Obama told aides the decision reflected his growing frustration with lawmakers who appeared to want to have it both ways—criticizing the president for not seeking congressional authorization, and then criticizing the decisions he makes.
The chemical attack in Syria was unconscionable. But the president can’t do anything about it unless the people, through their representatives, give him the power to do something about it. This is as it should be. The president made it so.
