Congress should vote nay. Obama now has asked Congress to give him broad powers to fight ISIS. What is required before Congress takes a vote, is that Obama explain how each of the five elements (below) of the original Weinberger/Powell Doctrine is successfully met. Congress also needs to know what part Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia will play in defeating ISIS. As the president has currently presented his ambiguous war powers resolution, the vote in Congress is a no-brainer.
Five Essential Elements of the Weinberger/Powell Doctrine:
- Is there a compelling national interest at stake?
- Have the costs and consequences of intervention been considered?
- Have we exhausted all available options for resolving the problem, i.e. is force a last resort?
- Is there a clear and achievable military mission, and therefore a well-defined end state?
- Is there strong public support – both domestic and international – for the operation?
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