Arizona congressman blames government for war-weary Americans
Feb 13, 2015, 5:20 AM | Updated: 5:20 am
PHOENIX — An Arizona congressman blamed the United States government for the number of war-weary Americans just days after President Barack Obama announced he wants to increase military action in the Middle East to combat the Islamic State.
“I’m a politician,” Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Arizona) said. “I think the decisions about military action should be left up to the commanders and military generals. That’s been one of the big problems with the United States government in a lot of these wars we’ve prosecuted over the last few years. ”
Salmon said he doesn’t agree with Obama’s call for a rise in military action because it doesn’t go far enough.
Why have Americans become so war-weary? We don’t go into win.”
Obama asked Congress to grant him extended war powers on Wednesday. Under his proposal, the use of military force against Islamic State fighters would be authorized for three years, unbounded by national borders. The fight could be extended to any “closely related successor entity” to the Islamic State organization that has overrun parts of Iraq and Syria, imposed a stern form of Sharia law and killed several hostages it has taken, Americans among them.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
