Area lawmakers cautious on Obama's call for military force

WASHINGTON - Facing their first war vote since 2002, local lawmakers were cautious Wednesday as they prepared to consider President Obama's request for a formal authorization to use military force against the Islamic State militant group.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) will play a crucial role in the debate, as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Typically one of Washington's most hawkish Democrats, he praised much of Obama's proposal but said fellow Democrats may see it as too open-ended.

Lingering in their minds is the authorization for war in Iraq, which led to far-flung entanglements and more than a decade of conflict.

"The challenge is defining what is the combat troop operations, so that you don't have an open-ended check and we don't end up in another Iraq and Afghanistan," Menendez said. "At the same time, you give the president the wherewithal to degrade and defeat [the Islamic State], and that is the key question - whether the language that the administration has is defined enough in a way to strike that balance."

Menendez noted that Obama's plan includes a three-year sunset and limits on the use of ground troops.

But, he said, "I don't think that for many of my colleagues it will be sufficient. It's not sufficiently defined to guarantee, or assuage them, of their concern of a protracted engagement."

Divides quickly emerged over whether the proposal would restrict the fight against the Islamic State (also called ISIS or ISIL), or whether the authorization was too loose.

"We need a comprehensive military strategy and a robust authorization, not one that limits our options," House Speaker John A. Boehner (R., Ohio) said in a news release.

But Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Congress should "authorize this necessary fight without bogging down our nation and our troops in an endless conflict."

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) said he would support the use of force if it is "narrowly crafted" and "limited in duration."

Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R., N.J.), a member of the House Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, said Obama had been too slow to react to the growing threat.

"Where have they been? We should have seen this a couple of years ago," he said.

LoBiondo said he wants to hear from defense and intelligence officials to understand if the plan is sufficient. "This is an international problem and a huge problem for us that we need to get right," he said.