Left & right Unite!: Press Congress to Declare War on ISIS --Even if Obama Isn't Strongly Committed

*Support Congressional critics seeking oversight on Obama's "war" on ISIS.
*VP Biden, Sec of State Kerry show presidential leadership on ISIS. Where's Obama? His campaign is lackadaisical.

ISIS the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq are horrible human rights violators, so extreme that Al Qaeda reject them as too extreme.

In the last 36 hours Steven Sotloff, the second U.S. journalist captured by ISIS was beheaded. CBS News has confirmed the video of the barbaric act as authentic.

In the past 5 days, several news reports have appeared that ISIS has sold or married captured women and girls to ISIS fighters, for the price of $1,000 a piece. Read at Al Arabiya, CNN or International Business Times.

Iraq's war death toll took a spike to 5,500 jsut for the first six months of this year, the Guardian reported, based on a United Nations report. And the U.N. reported that ISIS issued a fatwa dictating female genital mutilation for all women and girls; albeit, ISIS denied this.

ISIS still has too much control in the Mosul Dam region, even after non-ISIS fighters supposedly recaptured the dam.

ISIS still has nearly encircled the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Reports from towns north of Baghdad, and from just a few miles south of Baghdad.

Incredibly, U.S. President Barack Obama refuses to take any real, decisive action vs. ISIS (aka ISIL). Just this weekend, he conceded that "We don't have a strategy yet" for pursuing ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Laudably, Vice President Joe Biden said that "We will follow them to the Gates of Hell."

Secretary of State John Kerry wrote an opinion column in the New York Times, arguing for an international coalition to fight ISIS.

Recalling Congressional prerogative to Declare War
The commentary on Congress reacting to Obama's moves against ISIS have emphasized Congress' power to declare war, and how Obama has jumped the gun in taking the modest moves that he has done. This is well and good, as per what the Constitution says about war-declaring authority.

The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to

   (1) a declaration of war,

   (2) specific statutory authorization, or

   (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.

--as the Atlantic Monthly noted.

Yet, let's look at this the other way around: It is increasingly clear that ISIS is not weakening and that its position is to strong and threatening. And Obama is not interested in taking decisively strong action against ISIS. If he will not do so, then Congress must declare war on ISIS, and press Obama to execute the action declared by Congress.

Let's be clear: this is not condoning the extreme international overreach that former President George W. Bush practiced in Iraq. The cause of stopping ISIS is not about profiting over Iraqi or Syrian resources. It is about stopping a genocidal army that is poised to become a genocidal regime.
And this does not mean that the U.S. ought to be involved in a years-long war in Iraq or Syria.

Biden's Senate replacement

Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware), Vice President-elect has passed the baton on to a longtime aide, Huffington Post reports:

WILMINGTON, Del. — Edward "Ted" Kaufman, a former aide to Sen. Joe Biden, was named Monday by Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner to fill the Senate seat Biden is leaving for the vice presidency.

Kaufman, co-chair of Biden's transition team and an Obama-Biden transition project advisory board member, plans to serve until the 2010 election, when a new senator is elected. He said he is comfortable stepping down after two years in office.

"I don't think Delaware's appointed senator should spend the next two years running for office," Kaufman said. "I will do this job to the fullest of my ability, and spend my days focused on one thing and one thing only: serving Delaware."

Speculation on Biden's successor had centered in recent weeks on his son, Attorney General Beau Biden. But last week the younger Biden announced that he planned to fulfill his National Guard duties and wouldn't accept an appointment to his father's U.S. Senate seat.

Biden is a prosecutor for the 261st Signal Brigade, which left for Iraq last week. The unit is due back in September 2009, in time for Biden to run for his father's Senate seat.

The elder Biden said in a statement, "It is no secret that I believe my son, Attorney General Beau Biden, would make a great United States Senator just as I believe he has been a great attorney general. But Beau has made it clear from the moment he entered public life that any office he sought he would earn on his own."

Just before announcing Kaufman as the appointee, Minner acknowledged speculation about the younger Biden being picked for the post and said she would have strongly considered him.

"The fact that Beau Biden is committed to fulfilling his obligation and not seeking appointment to this office tells us everything we need to know about his character," she said. "Should Beau choose to run for this office in 2010, he will _ as will whoever runs _ have to earn on his own the trust of the people of Delaware."

Click here for the full story from Huffington Post.

* * *
Now, we are just waiting for other replacements:
--the Senator from Illinois to replace Obama
--the senator from New York to replace Hillary Clinton (if all goes as planned, for her taking the Secretary of State post)

Obama Sen. resignation, Biden mum; Stevens' pledge

President-elect Barack Obama will step down as the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois.

Governor Rod Blagojevich will have the authority to replace him with an interim successor to serve out the remaining two years of Obama's term.

John McCormick and Rick Pearson at the Chicago Tribune added the following observations this afternoon:

The decision adds to the pressure on Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a fellow Democrat, who under state law has the sole responsibility for naming a successor to Obama, the only African-American in the Senate.

I would concur with this sentiment. African-Americans form twelve percent of our nation's population; it is appropriate to seek out an African-American replacement for Obama.
McCormick & Pearson's speculation (11/6) of possible replacements:

• U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who has established himself admirably in the House.
•Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, whose popularity and job performance make her a lethal threat to Blagojevich in 2010.
• State Comptroller Dan Hynes, a sure hand who wants to be Illinois' next governor.
• Paul Vallas, whose background in public finance, education and other policy realms qualifies him for a Senate seat.

I've omitted Obama confidente Valerie Jarrett. The businesswoman has said that she is not interested in the position, according to sources close to the President-elect.

BIDEN STATUS LESS CLEAR
Delaware Senator Joe Biden must also resign. Delaware law stipulates that when a senator resigns, the governor selects a successor, who serves until the next election, which will be in 2010, as in Obama's case.
However, Biden has made no announcement regarding his resignation --as of 6:20 PM EST.
Delaware's new governor, Jack Markell, is a Democrat, so the seat will remain in Democratic hands. Kenneth Walsh in U.S. News and World Report on November 11 speculated that Biden's son, Beau, stands a good chance of getting the appointment. However, the younger Biden, the state's attorney general, is performing National Guard duty in Iraq. So, a bit of delay will ensue, given, at least, transportation logistics.
NO CHANGE IN ALASKA SEN. STEVENS' POSITION
Sen. Ted Stevens still pledges to hold onto his seat. On the vice presidential campaign trail Gov. Sarah Palin said that he should resign. Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) also urged Stevens to resign.
The tide of the slow vote count has changed. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich now leads Stevens, by 814 votes, per Politico.com, at 6:00 PM. This figure does not clearly resolve the situation. Thousands of ballots remain to be counted. The gripping drama over the partisan fate of this Senate seat will continue until the conclusion of ballot counting on Tuesday.
If Stevens prevails, the drama could drag out. As PR Watch notes, he has been indicted --not convicted-- of felonies. Expulsion from the senate would require some senate cooperation: a vote by 2/3 of the senate is required to expell him.
Gov. Palin would then appoint a successor. Under Alaska law, the interim replacement would hold the seat on a very temporary basis: a special election must be held 90 days after the appointment of the interim replacement. And Palin has "sounded open" --according to The Hill-- to running for the seat herself.
* * *
SO, in contrast to the Obama and Biden departures, the Stevens/ Alaska story offers potential suspense. As I noted earlier, Chambliss will probably inherit the Libertarian third party candidate's votes. --No drama in Georgia. Fianlly, in Minnesota, the Norm Coleman-Al Franken recount drama proceeds slowly . . . .

Livebloggin' / Gov. Palin, stop looking at yer crib notes

Well, I'd have to concede: Gov. Sarah Palin sounds a lot better than I would have expected. (--Aside from her folksy "betcha" and dropping the "g" from words.)

She is more articulate than we've ever seen on television. She hasn't made any SNL-worthy gaffes. Nonetheless, the following pitfalls must be noted:
What is with the smiling? Palin is continuously beaming, perking out her cheeks and giving a toothy smile; but isn't that a little overdone, when it is offered on every topic, from the home mortgage crisis, to the Middle East?
But, isn't that what we'd expect, with her being sequestered by her Republican Party handlers for three days? She cannot be deemed a strong debater when she obviously had to look down and consult her cue card prep notes, even to her line, "It's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider."

FLASH: NYC's Ed Koch endorses Obama

This is delicious: former New York City mayor Ed Koch has endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president, and he has cited Obama's foreign policy bona fides. For full disclosure, I am not a Koch fan; he's been too centrist in the past, witness his 2004 endorsement of George W. Bush. Yet, this endorsement, if properly disseminated, should aid Obama among undecideds, particularly in the Northeast.

Here are the highlights after Koch segues from his discussion of the 2004 presidential race:

So the issue for me is who will best protect and defend America.

I have concluded that the country is safer in the hands of Barack Obama, leader of the Democratic Party and protector of the philosophy of that party. Protecting and defending the U.S. means more than defending us from foreign attacks. It includes defending the public with respect to their civil rights, civil liberties and other needs, e.g., national health insurance, the right of abortion, the continuation of Social Security, gay rights, other rights of privacy, fair progressive taxation and a host of other needs and rights.

Here's the link to the Koch's complete endorsement statement, "Why I'm Voting for Obama-Biden", published by Real Clear Politics. Of course, he makes a strong case for Senator Joe Biden for vice president also.

It's an Obama-Biden '08 ticket! The bio

Early this morning the Barack Obama campaign announced that Obama had chosen Senator Joe Biden (Delaware) as his vice-presidential (VEEP) nominee. The news was sent out by text messages and email.

The two candidates will begin touring today in Springfield, Illinois, at a 2:00 PM Central Daylight Time.

Biden was born on November 20, 1942, and he joined the Senate in 1973 at the age of 30. He was one of the youngest senators ever elected to the Senate.

Biden brings strong foreign policy expertise. He is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He will be a familiar face to viewers of Sunday morning talk shows, being the second most frequent guest to "Meet the Press," after John McCain

He brings demographic connections that Obama "needs": he is an Irish-Catholic and he has a working class roots. In contrast to McCain's callous abandonment of his wife upon his return from Vietnam, Biden shows that he is a strong family man. Biden commuted daily to Wilmington, Delaware, back from Washington, to tend to his two sons. This was an essential commitment, as his wife and daughter had died in a fatal car accident. His sister and her family moved in, to help Biden's family. In 1977 he married his current wife, Neilia Hunter. They had a daughter together.

Obama's choice demonstrates that Obama has humility and is inclined to forgive and move on, for political expediency. Specifically, this shows forgiveness for Biden's asinine, patronizing comment that Obama is an African-American candidate "who is articulate and bright and clean."

The debut Obama-Biden rally will be broadcast at 2:00 PM, on www.BarackObama.com. Spread the word.

SPEAKING WITH GUTS AND SPINE
Biden is known for pointedly speaking his mind. He aptly assailed Rudy Giuliani's speaking style as consisting of nouns, verbs, glued together by 911.

We would hope that Biden counsels Obama on the need to respond (of course, when appropriate) with aggression to Republican attacks. Theda Skocpol, a Harvard University government and sociology professor, advised Obama to be more aggressive and pointed. Her "Wake Up, Obama Camp" in commondreams.org states the case as to why aggressive responses to McCain et al are important in the campaign for president:

Politics is not just about issues, it is a metaphorical test of strength. If a man will not get immediately -- if quietly -- angry and fight back when his patriotism is attacked, why should we trust him to defend the country? And if he won't punch back by explaining clearly why his approach to foreign policy is actually tougher and smarter, why McCain's is thoughtless and reckless, why would we think he is better to be Commander in Chief?

In her closing paragraph, Skocpol advised, "And pick a FIGHTER for VP, please. Do it yesterday. Obama, you need someone who will push hard at your side and make you better, too." With his choice of Biden, Obama has done that.

Watch Biden's heartwarming story of overcoming his hardships of stuttering and overcoming family tragedy shortly before his 1973 senatorial swearing-in, in an ABC News interview with Charles Gibson.