Are we at war against ISIS? Or is it, as President Obama put it, a “counterterrorism campaign”?
And does it matter? The whole issue of Congress’ role in declaring war has re-emerged with Obama’s speech on his plan to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State. It has been many wars since Congress declared war, and Congress doesn’t seem much interested in declaring war this time, writes Amy Davidson in the New Yorker. An Authorization for Use of Military Force, passed in 2001, is apparently still in effect. Is that good enough?
The path to war, then and now, haunts Obama, who says he knows he pays “a political price” for being deliberate. Via the New York Times.
The Scott Gessler lament: If the Democrats hold on here in Colorado in 2014, it will probably be because they could mail the election in. Via the Washington Post.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is looking less like his father – the antiwar Republican crushed by Nixon — than the man who did the crushing. Via the Atlantic.
P.J. O’Rourke, good Irishman that he is, is looking forward to a free and independent Scotland, and the hilarious disaster that’s sure to follow. Via the Daily Beast.
Thomas Frank takes on the new geniuses in Washington who think they’ve discovered political science. He means you, Ezra Klein. Via Salon.
Ross Douthat on the Middle East’s friendless Christians — and the day that Ted Cruz walked out on them. Via the New York Times.
Elizabeth Warren has a message for you — that she can stay on message like no one else. Via Politico.
Sand Creek High School crowns a homecoming princess every year, but this past weekend, the tradition garnered more serious attention than just the usual trite gossip. For the first time, a transgender girl won the honor after having earned the majority of votes in the junior class. With the crown, however, also came vitriol from some in her community. Via the Gazette.
New research that compares data from the state Department of Education and the Department of Human Services show that Colorado youth in foster care have a lower high school graduation rate than homeless youth. Fewer than a third of foster care kids graduate high school in four years. Via the Denver Post.
[Image of WW2 newspapers via Fickr/Creative Commons.]
