Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said Tuesday that it “would be a recipe for disaster” if Congress were to “micromanage” military action in Syria, but agreed with lawmakers calling for more narrow language in President Barack Obama’s authorization request for the use of force.
“My view of the constitution is, Congress has to be involved in the initiation of military action, but the president’s the commander-in-chief and you’ve got to give the president some latitude in terms of implementing the congressional decision to initiate military action,” Kaine said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Kaine said the president would need “additional authority” before putting boots on the ground, echoing Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who over the weekend said Senate Democratic aides were drafting new language amending the president’s resolution to prevent the deployment of American troops in Syria.
“The White House has said there won’t be boots on the ground in this operation,” Kiane added, “that’s probably pretty important to specify in an authorization.”
