Handing off the blame to the war mongering GOP.
Via JPost
Sending Congress a request to grant him new war powers against Islamic State, US President Barack Obama said he seeks an authorization sufficiently flexible for the mission at hand, while limited in scope.
“Our coalition is on the offensive,” Obama said in a brief statement. “ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is going to lose.”
If passed, the president’s authorization against ISIL would be the first bill of its kind since Congress voted to authorize war in Iraq in 2003.
In his remarks, the president laid the basis for an argument unusual from the White House: A defense for limiting, not expanding, his authority as commander-in-chief.[…]
On Capitol Hill, some Republicans are questioning why the president would rule out ground troops completely. On the other hand, some Democrats declared opposition to the resolution on Wednesday, concerned over the lack of geographic limitations outlined for the mission.
“I’m convinced that the United States should not get dragged back into another prolonged ground war in the Middle East,” Obama said. ” That’s not in our national security interest and it’s not necessary for us to defeat ISIL.”
“Local forces on the ground who know their countries best,” he continued.
Obama outlines flexibility and limitations in ISIS authorization request
The president delivered comments roughly an hour after the State Department confirmed over 20,000 people from 90 countries, including 3,400 Westerners, had so far traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight.