Presidential 'Blank Check for War' Wielded Thirty Times, and Counting

Together Presidents Bush and Obama have wielded the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) 30 times against an alleged “nation, person, or organization” affiliated with the attacks of September 11, according to new public disclosures.

The memorandum—which provides the first, full public accounting of times the AUMF has been cited—was compiled by the Congressional Research Service and released by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

“I have been deeply concerned about this overly-broad blank check for war,” said Lee, who was the only member of Congress to vote against the AUMF following September 11. “[I]t gives any president the nearly unlimited authority to wage limitless war at anytime, anywhere, for any reason, in perpetuity.”

The report falls short, however, in that it only indicates occasions which were publicly reported and not those that the US government may have deemed ‘covert’ or ‘classified.’

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