Congressman Doggett: ‘Don’t Be Stampeded Into War’

So the Obama administration and US Congress are openly breaching International Law to continue intervention in Syria by supplying mercenaries of the Sunni sect to do our evil deeds. Nothing new of course.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas): Don’t be Stampeded into War | Informed Comment|

The Middle Eastern tragedy, in which this resolution will further entangle America, is directly related to the wholly unnecessary Bush-Cheney invasion of Iraq. Having learned so little from the sacrifices of that conflict, the Congress now approves greater involvement in a Syrian civil war that has already taken almost 200,000 lives.

The Administration has affirmed this very day that what it is talking about is definitely a “war” – a declaration of war, while it seeks to avoid this Congress declaring that war – a Congress in which too many of the people’s representatives fear making a decision today on whether to declare war.

Instead, we vote on an amendment here to authorize the Administration to do what it is already doing in Jordan, while declining to consider a vote on what it should not do without specific Congressional authorization.

Reliance on the resolutions approved by this Congress, on this Floor, over a decade ago, in 2001 and 2002, is very instructive. First, it shows the dangers of open-ended authorizations. Such a resolution as we have today will likely govern not only the actions of President Obama, but of future Presidents.

Second, once begun, this Congress, even under Democratic control, has shown little ability to contain war. And third, despite billions expended and with courageous Americans on the ground, the results of more than a decade of trying to successfully train Iraqis and Afghans, have not been particularly encouraging. Indeed, the reality is American taxpayers have been compelled to pay for the arms for our enemies as well as for our allies.

Nor do we have any explanation today as to how taking a few Syrians for training in Saudi Arabia, a country with its own brutal history of regular beheadings, financing extremists around the world and opposing democracy most everywhere- –how that will work better than our previous training on the ground with Americans.

House Floor Speech Rep. Lloyd Doggett: Don’t be Stampeded into War

WASHINGTON DC — U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who was actively involved in opposing the authorization for President Bush to invade Iraq, spoke on the House floor concerning the legal basis for any future action in Iraq:

“This Congress has a constitutional obligation to approve military action before any President decides to shoot first and ask questions later. A twelve-year-old resolution, enacted in the aftermath of 9/11, should not provide a basis for endless war.”

“Some of the same self-certified smart people, who were talking about mushroom clouds and weapons of mass destruction, are once again trying to stampede us into war. We’ve been there and done that, and America is still paying a terrible price for their past failures, though they refuse to acknowledge them.”

“Protecting our embassy in Baghdad, that’s one thing, or responding to a true emergency, but if any president wants to launch offensive military action, they need to come and make specific case to this Congress for authorization, Just as President Obama said he would do last year regarding Syria, not some convoluted interpretation of a resolution from a different time and circumstance.”

“If there is a case for war, have the courage to come here and make it, but don’t rely on an open-ended authorization of military force from long ago.”

Perpetual War Fuels Terrorism