Panetta: Obama should call back Congress to authorize ISIS fight

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday urged President Obama to call Congress back to authorize the use of military force against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“I think frankly the president should say to the Congress, ‘Come back. Let’s make a decision here with regards with the authorization to take this on because this is war,’ ” Panetta said on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.“

{mosads}Congress approved the president’s plan to arm and train vetted Syrian opposition groups last month. But leaders put off a debate on authorizing military force against ISIS ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Lawmakers are also split on when to hold such a vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has suggested the lame-duck session could take up the issue, while Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said the debate should be delayed for the new Congress.

Panetta said the president should press lawmakers to act quickly.

“I think when we confront this kind of threat, and because it’s going to be long and sustained … I think the president has to prepare the country for a long and sustained battle against ISIS,” he said.

“I think the best way to do it, frankly, would be to have Congress — Republicans and Democrats — come together to give him the authorization needed to do that.” 

The former CIA director has appeared in a string of television interviews this week to publicize his new book, Worthy Fights, which has attracted attention for its criticism of Obama.

On Wednesday, Panetta also had harsh words for lawmakers.

“Unfortunately this Congress has a hard time trying to find the bathrooms in the Capitol,” he said.

—This story was updated at 10:23 a.m.