President Barack Obama first criticized a law passed under George W. Bush that authorized the use of military force without congressional approval, seeking its repeal.
But now, the president is using it to his advantage,
the Washington Times reports, as he goes after the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists with an assault of airstrikes.
Bush's Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) statute was first implemented in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But Obama, at least until a year ago, didn't like it, saying publicly that it made it too easy for a president to jump into a war.
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He said last year: "The AUMF is now nearly 12 years old. Unless we discipline our thinking, our definitions, our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we don't need to fight, or continue to grant presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states."
As recently as July, Obama sought to have the law repealed,
RedState.com reported. His national security adviser Susan Rice wrote House Leader John Boehner seeking it withdrawn and calling it "outdated."
Now, however, he has had a complete turnaround, quickly employing the law as global fears over the Islamic State's barbarism and growth continue to rise,
Time reported.
His spokesman Josh Earnest faced reporters last week, having to back track on the president's seeming flip-flop, the Washington Times noted.
"The president is ready to engage in a conversation with members of Congress as it relates to this specific AUMF," he said. "And we welcome or would welcome a show of support from the United States Congress for the strategy that the president has laid out."
Also backtracking on behalf of the White House was the National Security Council's spokeswoman, who responded to a question from the Times asking if the president still hoped to end the law. She said that he did, even as two days later, the president didn't hesitate to use it.
"On the 2001 AUMF, we remain committed to engaging with Congress and the American people to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF," she told the Times. "The president has made clear that he wishes to take America off a permanent war footing."
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