President Barack Obama should ask Congress for authorization to conduct attacks against terrorists in Iraq and Syria, Sen. Bob Corker told MSNBC's "The Daily Rundown With Chuck Todd."
Obama was currently acting under the "War Powers Act's notifications relative to specific excursions," which Corker said allowed for "60 days of activity without coming back to Congress." Since a campaign waged in Iraq and Syria needed to be "far more coordinated," he said the president should share his plans with Congress.
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"For the American people's sake, Congress should weigh in. Congress should be a part of this. Congress should own whatever we're doing militarily," the Tennessee Republican said Tuesday. "I think there's a general agreement [in Congress] that a new authorization needs to take place."
A strategy against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, should include airstrikes, drones, intelligence, and "empowering people that are already on the ground in Iraq," Corker said, adding it would also include support for the "moderate opposition."
Corker said he hoped the Obama administration wasn't delaying sharing his strategy with Congress because of November's midterm elections, even though "everything this administration does is about elections, it seems." He said members of Congress should be prepared to vote on issues of national security, despite an upcoming election.
"Things happen around the world. There are crises, and it's our responsibility, as elected officials, to let people know where we stand relative to national security.
"I hope this delay that's taking place, where the administration continues to not say what it's going to do, continues to not lay out objectives, continues to not lay out a strategy — I would hope that the reason is not the elections that are coming up," he said.
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