Sen. Kaine Calls on President to Seek Congressional Authorization for Military Force Against ISIL

Prior to and following President Obama’s address to the nation on ISIL Thursday night, Virginia’s U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine called on the President to seek authorization from Congress before taking any military action.

Kaine, a Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement in response to the President’s address:

“Tonight President Obama made a strong case for the need to degrade and destroy ISIL. The President has worked to enlist partners, including key allies across the region, in this effort – a partnership that will be critical to its success.

“I support the President’s goal and believe he will receive broad support from the American people. I disagree with the President’s assertion that he has all necessary legal authority to wage an offensive war against ISIL without Congressional approval. But the President does acknowledge the need for Congressional approval of his plan to support the Syrian opposition and invites broader Congressional support of the multinational effort to defeat ISIL. I look forward to working with my colleagues to craft a narrow authorization for that mission. I believe Congress owes it to our servicemembers to do our collective job to reach a consensus in support of this military mission.”

A report by The Hill newspaper points out that some Democrats running for re-election aren’t happy with Kaine because they don’t want to have to go on the record with a vote before Election Day. Kaine’s office said they had not heard any criticism directly from any senator.

Kaine responded by saying that voters elected him and other senators to make tough decisions, The Hill reported.

“I don’t think anybody should just be in this job for the politics,” he told the newspaper. “They should be in the job to do the right thing,” he told The Hill in an interview Tuesday.

Watch the videos below of Pres. Obama’s address from Thursday night and Kaine’s call earlier for the President to seek congressional authorization for military force against ISIL.