State of the Union: Obama asks for new war powers to fight Islamic State

U.S. President Barack Obama vowed in the State of the Union address Tuesday to relentlessly hunt down terrorists from “Pakistan to the streets of Paris,” then called on Congress to approve new war powers against Islamic State (IS) militants. Obama argued that U.S. military leadership in Iraq and Syria is stopping the IS advance, but asked lawmakers “to show the world that we are united in this mission” with a war authorization vote. Republican lawmakers have said they are prepared to work with him to pass such a measure if he sends a proposal up to Capitol Hill. Obama said he believes in moving forward with “a smarter kind of American leadership” that combines military power with strong diplomacy. “That’s how America leads - not with bluster, but with persistent, steady resolve,” Obama said.

When we make rash decisions, reacting to the headlines instead of using our heads, when the first response to a challenge is to send in our military, then we risk getting drawn into unnecessary conflicts and neglect the broader strategy we need for a safer, more prosperous world.

U.S. President Barack Obama

This was Obama’s first State of the Union since Democrats lost control of the Senate in November mid-term elections. But he has rebounded since the vote as unemployment dropped below six percent, the stock market returned to near record levels, growth picked up to its highest clip in 11 years and gas prices plummeted. The speech came the day before U.S. envoys begin new talks in Havana on restoring ties with Cuba, and Obama will push Congress to end the trade embargo. On Iran, Obama warned that any move to impose new sanctions could scupper delicate negotiations aimed at reaching a complex nuclear deal.

New sanctions passed by this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that diplomacy fails. That is why I will veto any new sanctions bill that threatens to undo this progress.

Barack Obama

Americas SOTU2015