Obama can place the blame on the Republicans. Update to this previous story.
Democrats and Republicans said it’s likely they will reshape President Obama’s authorization for the use of military force in the Middle East before they approve it.
“We are hopeful we can come up with a bipartisan agreement,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said after Obama administration officials outlined the plan in private to Senate Democrats. “This was the beginning. This was the opening salvo. There was nothing finalized yet as far as I can determine.”
Obama is expected on Wednesday to send Congress his official authorization request, known as an AUMF, to carry out military action in the Middle East against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
He sent top officials, including White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to Capitol Hill to begin selling the plan to Senate Democrats.
Lawmakers and aides who have been briefed on the request say it loosely follows legislation passed by Senate Democrats in December, with some additional flexibility added by the administration when it comes to use of American ground force troops in the region and which terrorist organizations are to be targeted by the U.S. military. The changes are likely included to lure Republican votes without alienating too many Democrats.
The AUMF includes a three-year expiration date and would allow U.S. targeting of ISIS and ISIS-brand terrorist organizations, such as al-Nusra Front, which is connected to al Qaeda.[…]
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told the Washington Examiner that Obama’s top staff briefed him on the AUMF by telephone.
He said he can’t support the plan because Obama administration officials told him it does not allow the United States to take military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad if Assad attacks Syrian army personnel trained to fight ISIS.[…]
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., says he wants the AUMF to allow the United States to go after Assad and “any groups who are committing acts of terror.”
Democrats also were hesitant to back Obama’s AUMF language, with some lawmakers looking for language that is more restrictive on use of ground troops.