I can hear the tune by the Clash playing in my head…love Combat rock!  But in this case I am referring to our return to action in Iraq…….there are lots of opinions on the Hill….some pro, some con…..

There is a growing cause that we should let the prez handle this in his way……Congress is waiting and watching….

The bipartisan consensus emerging among leadership on the Hill is that the President has leeway to act in Iraq as long as the mission remains narrowly defined.

It’s a hands-off approach that has afforded the White House a bit more flexibility when it comes to making strategic decisions. On Monday, the administration announced that it would be sending an additional 200 troops to Baghdad to protect the airport and American Embassy there. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told The Huffington Post that the administration continued to believe that it did not need a new congressional authorization even in light of that new troop movement.

That a little piece was reported in the HufPo.  But is it up to the prez to make that decision?  Well, if the truth be known….it is NOT up to him to make that decision…….

As the US debates its future in Iraq, all eyes are on President Obama—but where we should be looking is Capitol Hill. Yes, congressional leaders recently said Obama needed no new authorization for further military action in Iraq. “But they’re wrong,” writes Rachel Maddow in the Washington Post. The Founding Fathers gave “the responsibility for war and peace to the clamorous Congress.” The War Powers Act puts power in Obama’s hands for 60 days; after that, it’s up to lawmakers to decide whether to authorize additional troops.

The Constitution puts Congress in charge “so that decisions about war and peace would be made not on one person’s say-so but only after vigorous national debate,” and we need that debate on Iraq. There is a precedent here: A year and a half after the US departure from Vietnam, North Vietnam planned a new offensive, and President Ford sought $700 million “to stabilize the military situation.” Lawmakers’ views on the matter were clear: “Congress knew that it was in its power to say no, and it said no. There would be no second coming of America’s war in Vietnam.” Click for Maddow’s full piece.

So which is it?  Keep in mind that an election is only months away and the biggie in 2016….so of course the Congress wants someone else to make that decision so they cannot be held responsible when the next election rolls around……

As I have said before…..my opinion is watch but stay out……the region will sort this out without our interference….we may not like it but it is their region to control….any action by the US will only make more enemies…..something this country does NOT need.

With that said….I may be a dreamer…..in the end the US may have no other choice but to act.  It is going to be a balancing act something the US has NEVER been any good at doing.