Matthew Hoh was a 28-year-old

–

longtime Marine captain assigned to the Pentagon in late 2002, just like

Than-

President George W. Bush laid the groundwork for a war in Iraq. Like many of his generation, Hoh was hardened in his patriotism by the

September 11, 20019-11

terror attacks, and he was eager to serve.

It was widely accepted

at the time

that the war would be swift and decisive. Hoh feared it would be over before his tour at the Pentagon cleared him to go to war, and he would miss his chance.

In fact, but

the war would drag on for another eight years. And 20 years later it still weighs on the Iraqis whose lives were destroyed and on a Middle East still in turmoil

,; together with

Americans were shocked by the humanitarian and moral disaster it became

,

other

on

the balance of power it established in Washington.

nN only

Congress is about to strike off the books authorizing the war in Iraq, a move that would formally end the war.

Here I am 20 years later, still talking about it today, Hoh said. He eventually got his turn serving in Iraq two tours, in fact, and a third in Afghanistan as a civilian working for the State Department and today he’s part of a campaign to repeal the law known as the authorization to use military force.

The law authorized Bush to eventually send tens of thousands

1

employ

members and women

to Iraq, starting March 20, 2003. Because the law stands still

instead of life

presidents can and have used it to conduct other military operations not technically covered

inside

the authorization. Normally, under the American system, only Congress can declare war.

The revocation attempt also targets a similar 1991 authorization that allowed President George HW Bush to

Persian

Gulf War

which What

aimed at expelling Iraqi invaders from Kuwait. That law is still on the books.

Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), one of the main proponents of the repeal, said both bills are obsolete and unnecessary.

Congress has a constitutional and moral responsibility to revoke them so future presidents cannot use these authorizations as a blank check to send service

–

Members at risk, Kaine said after the repeal measure cleared hurdles from the Senate Judiciary Committee and headed for a vote by the full chamber.

In 2020, tT

chicken chairman

Donald

Trump

in 2020

used the authorization to the

assassination attempt

of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, who was in Iraq at the time.

The repair

bill

has enjoyed

–

partisan support in the Senate and

iswil

probably

Unpleasant

pass when the vote comes in the next few days.

At home, however, it is different

story question

.

Oddly enough, hard-right Some hard-right

Republicans

appeared in that room

to favor, at least philosophically, the return of powers of war to Congress.

More mainstream Other GOP House

members

of the GOP

However,

to have

to argue

i.e

that a sitting president needs flexibility to counter possible attacks from Iran or other enemies.

downplaying this a bit more given the unknowns with some Trump-aligned people who may be in the right camp

It is not yet clear how House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-

Bakersfield California.

) will herd its members.

Just because a bill passes in the Senate doesn’t mean it’s going straight to the floor, McCarthy said last week, declaring the obvious while eclipsing expectations. Then, during the

House Republicans

orlando,

Custard.

shrine

enjoyed by members of the Republican Congress

this week, McCarthy expressed support for the repeal but said it would go through the committee process, which could take days or weeks.

Bush gave as his justification for the war in Iraq what he said was information showing that dictator Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction. None were ever discovered.

About 4,500 Americans died in the Iraq War; the death toll for Iraqis is estimated at half a million. The brutal Hussein was vanquished, eventually captured and executed by an Iraqi tribunal. But the US invasion, followed by a long, debilitating occupation, led to more insurgencies, including the Islamic State that

came to

terrorize

i.e

people across the region and beyond,

other

especially in Iraq.

President Obama finally ended most of the combat operations in 2011. About 2,500 U.S. personnel remain in Iraq, mostly dedicated to countering

–

terrorism operations. Iraq and the US are formal partners with full diplomatic ties, making a war decree even more likely

off key absurd

.

Proponents of the repeal argue that returning war powers to Congress would bring greater scrutiny and transparency in the build-up and conduct of US-led conflicts. The Founding Fathers intended it that way, reasoning that the executive will always be more inclined to go to war and the legislature provides a necessary counterbalance.

–

weight, kaine sa

idys

.

No recalls

That

he found the justifications advanced for the war in Iraq questionable at the time and said Congress needed to play a more proactive role.

“We owe it to our military to fulfill our constitutional obligations and vote to end endless wars,” Kaine said.

Repeat the law

S

“is vital to restoring Congress’ proper role in approving the use of military force and affirmatively declaring it when conflicts are over,” said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who co-authored the bill with Kaine. Young served three tours in Iraq as a Marine Corps officer.

hi

said hi

disillusioned and embittered by the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the traumatic toll they

to have

to take

N

on

that everyone

concerned. He also witnessed the wastage of millions of dollars

in reconstruction aid in Iraq

That

should have helped rebuild Iraq, but was led instead

Unpleasant

war”

security

attempts

,

“

including private contractors and militias, and the corruption that undermined any hope of healing in the devastated country.

the result

Ho said he says

meaning “massive death, destruction and the downfall of a society.”

He sees the repeal as a limited but important way to change the behavior of decision making leading to war.

The retraction” would be the first step, out

can many

Steps to account for a war that should not have happened,” Hoh said.

“Congress has abdicated its responsibility for waging war and they have not stood up for themselves. They have been given a war forced upon them… a war of choice, a war based on lies.”