To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate

Congress: Vote NO on the Syria AUMF

Victory! The creator of this petition declared the campaign a success. You can still sign the petition to show support.

Congress should vote NO on the Syria authorization for the use of military force.

Why is this important?

It's a historic victory that President Obama has agreed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force in Syria. But despite the President's promise that he only intends to conduct "limited strikes," the AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) he sent to the Hill is a blank check for war.

It isn't geographically limited to Syria--this president or a future president could use it to strike Iran. It doesn't prohibit the use of U.S. ground troops. It isn't limited in duration. If this AUMF passes, it is likely to remain; the Iraq AUMF has never been repealed. If you oppose a U.S. military strike on Syria, sign the petition. And even if you support only limited strikes, sign the petition, because the Syria AUMF isn't a mandate for limited strikes--it's a blank check for war.

[Update 9/4: the authorization introduced by Menendez last night partially addresses three issues: it is time-limited, it is limited to Syria, it speaks against ground troops. However, the time limit is 2-3 months, not 2-3 days as promised earlier, and it only prohibits ground troops in Syria "for the purpose of combat," We've seen in Iraq and Afghanistan that "training" includes U.S. troops embedded in foreign combat forces. The Menendez bill authorizes a longer and broader war - "degrading" Syrian military forces and arming and training Syrian rebels, thus intervening in Syria's civil war to try to change the balance of military forces, despite earlier claims - than the 2-3 days of cruise missile strikes that were marketed to the public.]