Barbara Lee: War Blank Check
on Tuesday, July 16, 2019Barbara Lee Money Quote saying that three days after the 9/11 terror attacks she was the only member of Congress to oppose endless war. Barbara Lee said:
“On September 14, 2001, I placed the lone vote against the ‘Authorization for Use of Military Force’ – an authorization that I knew would provide a blank check to wage war anywhere, at any time, and for any length” — Barbara Lee
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In this quote, Barbara Lee is explaining her sole vote against the post-9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force resolution passed by Congress.
Her interpretation is that the AUMF provided too broad and open-ended of an authorization, essentially serving as a “blank check”, for the executive branch to wage war as it saw fit without sufficient limitations on scope, duration or geographic reach.
Lee seems to be suggesting the AUMF gave too much unchecked power to the President and military to engage in conflict anywhere in the world for as long as they deemed necessary, without oversight or accountability.
The overall message is one of concern that the AUMF ceded too much unchecked authority over war-making decisions and did not place adequate constraints on how the authorization could be applied.