"This statement from the administration: 'The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that such use of force was in the national interest.' That's too vague for you? Maher asked Schiff, who has loudly opposed Trump's decision to strike Iran without congressional approval."
"Well, Obama made the argument, um, initially that he could go into Syria without an authorization. I and many others pushed back on that argument. Ultimately, he did not go forward with going after Assad - even though Assad was gassing his own people - because he thought he might lose the vote in Congress."
"But I respect the fact that, uh, that was important to [Obama], and the fact that he did not have the support of Congress meant that we weren't going to go forward with going after Assad."
During an episode of Real Time, Bill Maher presented Senator Adam Schiff with a 2011 quote from the Obama administration justifying presidential authority to direct military force based on national interest determination. Schiff dismissed the statement as too vague, unaware it originated from Obama's Libya intervention. When Maher revealed the source, Schiff acknowledged Obama had made similar arguments regarding Syria but claimed he and others opposed such reasoning. Schiff noted that Obama ultimately did not proceed with strikes against Assad without congressional support, which he respected. This exchange highlighted the tension between Schiff's current opposition to Trump's Iran strikes and his previous acceptance of Obama's expansive executive power claims.
Read at California Post
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