WASHINGTON 鈥� Sen. Tim Kaine says that after nine months of military action against the Islamic State terror group, his colleagues in the House and Senate, who still haven鈥檛 voted to give President Barack Obama authorization to take that action, don鈥檛 鈥渉ave the backbone to do their job.鈥�
In an interview Thursday morning with 草莓传媒, Kaine, D-Virginia, says he鈥檚 going to make a speech later in the day 鈥淸challenging] Congress to undertake the responsibility that, by the Constitution, only we can do, which is to initiate war.鈥�
Since military action began last August, Kaine says, 鈥淐ongress keeps coming up with a new excuse not to act.鈥�
First, he says, the general sentiment was to wait until after the midterms. When they were over last November, he says, taking up the matter in a lame-duck session was considered a mistake.
In January, when the new session began, Kaine says he was told, 鈥溾�橶ell, the president hasn鈥檛 sent us a draft of the proposed authorization to do that,鈥� even though it is our power, not the president鈥檚.鈥�
Even so, Kaine says, the president sent a draft authorization in February 鈥� 2 1/2 months ago.
鈥淎nd Congress still hasn鈥檛 acted on it 鈥� 鈥極h, there鈥檚 other things that we鈥檙e doing.鈥� Well, meanwhile, we鈥檝e got service members 鈥� a whole lot of Virginians, a whole lot of D.C. and Marylanders 鈥� who are deployed overseas, who are fighting in a war, and we鈥檙e spending money on it,鈥� Kaine says.
Congress is taking the easy way out, and not for the first time, Kaine says.
鈥淐ongress has only declared war five times. Presidents have started wars about 125 times prior to congressional approval, and sometimes Congress has never approved.鈥�
The reason, he says, is simple.
鈥淲ars are complicated, and they鈥檙e controversial, and they could be unpopular. And so this Congress, like Congresses before it, has chosen to stand back, even as thousands of American service members are deployed 鈥� even as we鈥檝e lost American lives, both service members and hostages in the last few months, Congress has chosen to stand back and do nothing.鈥�
He thinks that political ambition, including among those running for higher office, has something to do with it. And plain old opportunism is a factor as well.
鈥淲hat Congress will often do is say 鈥榃ell, we鈥檒l let the president start it, and if it goes well, we鈥檒l say we were with him the entire time, and if it goes badly we鈥檒l say 鈥淗ow dare you do this.鈥濃��
Kaine adds that this last factor is particularly galling in the current atmosphere.
鈥淩emember, this is the Congress that loves to jump all over President Obama: 鈥楬ow dare you take executive action? How dare you do things on immigration or health care without talking to us?鈥� But on the most solemn power, that is clearly Congress鈥檚, they are willing to let the president do whatever he wants because they don鈥檛 want to go on the board and vote yes or no about it.
鈥淏ut it is so unfair to the troops that serve 鈥� they鈥檙e over there risking their lives, but they don鈥檛 know whether Congress cares about them one iota.鈥�
He says it鈥檚 鈥渓ong past time that we had this debate,鈥� since threats are growing around the world.
Referring to the recent attacks in Texas, he says, 鈥淣ow we鈥檝e got people carrying out attack in the U.S. claiming to be inspired by ISIL,鈥� adding that it鈥檚 now in Afghanistan and Libya and Yemen as well as Iraq and Iran.
And Boko Haram recently declared an alliance with ISIS.
鈥淭his is not a threat that is going away, it鈥檚 only getting worse. And Congress still hasn鈥檛 said anything.鈥�
