I feel bad for people who had their children taken by Boko Haram in Nigeria. There’s probably few people the world over who don’t.

However, feeling bad is not a justification to send our men and women into combat. Anywhere. Any time.

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 veto’d by Pres. Richard Nixon, overridden and passed by Congress stipulates that the President of The United States of America cannot send troops into an area unless certain criteria are met.

1. United States interests, assets or civilians or personnel must be in clear and present danger. (wasn’t that a great movie btw?)

1a. Congress MUST be notified in writing by the current president.

2. The conflict must endanger the security of the United States of America.

3. The force cannot remain in the combat zone without Congressional authorization for more than a period of 90 days.

4. The President can extend the period an extra 30 days but must seek Congressional approval thereafter.

In his written letter to Congress, Obama states his contempt for the resolution his party helped to draft against Nixon and states he has no interest in abiding by it…

 “The force will remain in Chad until its support in resolving the kidnapping situation is no longer required.”

All of this is in stark contrast to a speech President Obama gave in September of 2013 on the crisis in Syria:

“America is not the world’s policeman. Terrible things happen across the globe, and it is beyond our means to right every wrong. “

As is always the case with Obama, 2013 Obama sounds strangely different from 2014 Obama just as Senator Obama sounded massively different from President Obama.

I imagine once in a while that there is a multiverse of Obamas and they are all arguing with each other over hypocrisies and self contradictions.  I’ll just add 2014 Obama to that universe I suppose…