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Editor's note: Jane Harman is president and chief executive of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. A former U.S. representative from California, she was the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee from 2002 to 2006. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama has properly decided to go to Congress and then the American people this week to reveal his strategy to degrade and destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS). To paraphrase former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, this is a crisis the President should not waste. How individual members of Congress respond to this call should matter and should be a 2014 election issue -- the duck and blame game stops here.

Since September 11, 2001, the relationship between Congress and the president has collapsed. Following the lead of President George W. Bush, President Obama has used Article II commander-in-chief authorities, plus the quaint and seemingly ancient 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF, to hijack Congress' constitutional responsibility over war and peace.

As a member of Congress, I witnessed the transformation. I was there on 9/11 and a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee. But House Speaker John Boehner, The New York Times recently pointed out, is the only member of House Republican leadership who was in office on the day that changed this country. And Democrats have faced turnover, too; institutional memory of a time before the 2001 AUMF is fading fast.

Speaking to Chuck Todd for "Meet the Press" this weekend, Obama suggested he has "the authorization he needs" for the mission he has in mind,- but no one is clear on what authority he's invoking. Jack Goldsmith, writing for Lawfare, suggested recently that the Obama administration might think it can restart the War Powers clock with each notification it sends to Congress. By this otherworldly interpretation, we aren't fighting a war with ISIL, we're picking a dozen sequential fights with ISIL (which calls itself the "Islamic State"), and will continue doing so until the President decides he has achieved his objectives.

With all this going on, it's no wonder that we've struggled to craft a coherent response to this depraved band of thugs. There's a reason Obama doesn't feel able to trust this hyper-partisan Congress, but this is a poor way of shaping strategy. It's also an attitude that blows the War Powers Resolution to pieces and evokes Richard Nixon's actions in Vietnam.

Jane Harman

But it doesn't have to be this way. A change can start immediately, at no cost to the President.

When he speaks with congressional leaders, Obama should -- at the very least -- be explicit about what he believes his authorities to be. Can he strike Syria on his own authority? Can he keep up the air campaign in Iraq indefinitely by hitting the snooze button on the War Powers alarm every few weeks? If he believes the answer is yes, Congress deserves to know as much. But if the President believes he has these authorities, he's setting a very dangerous precedent. He does need a vote -- and he should want it, too.

Originally posted here:
Obama's big opportunity on ISIS

President Barack Obama speaks at a news conference at the NATO summit at Celtic Manor, Newport, Wales, Friday, Sept. 5, 2014. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

President Obama told congressional leaders Tuesday that he has the authority he needs to take on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, also known as ISIL), according to the White House.

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Press Secretary Josh Earnest offered few details about what exactly the president will say Wednesday.

The president met with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Nev., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., ahead of a speech to the nation on his plan to deal with the Islamic militant group planned for Wednesday night.

"The president told the leaders that he has the authority he needs to take action against ISIL in accordance with the mission he will lay out in his address tomorrow night. He reiterated his belief that the nation is stronger and our efforts more effective when the President and Congress work together to combat a national security threat like ISIL," the White House said in a statement.

Mr. Obama also told the leaders he would welcome actions by Congress "that would aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the United States is united in defeating the threat," the statement said.

The leaders did not speak with reporters outside the White House after the meeting and offered scant details on what the president told them. Reid merely said the president gave a preview of the speech that everyone would hear Wednesday night. Pelosi said the session offered a"valuable opportunity for consultation on advancing security and stability in the region and beyond."

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The House speaker explained to reporters what he hopes to hear from the president Wednesday during remarks in which hes expected to lay out plan...

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Obama to Congress: I have authority to take action against ISIS

MSNBC #39;s Special on Sen. Rand Paul #39;s Guatemalan Medical Mission Trip - Aug 31, 2014

By: SenatorRandPaul

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MSNBC's Special on Sen. Rand Paul's Guatemalan Medical Mission Trip - Aug 31, 2014 - Video

A brand new Zogby Analytics poll of likely Republican presidential primary voters shows Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and former Massachusetts Governor (and 2012 GOP nominee) Mitt Romney tied at 15% in a very crowded field of potential candidates. The online poll of 212 likely Republican presidential primary voters was conducted September 3 and 4 and has a margin of sampling error of +/-6.9 points.

Here is how all the candidates stack up:

Obviously, this is early and has much to do with name recognition. However, what is striking is the two top contenders represent two completely different sides of the GOPs likely voters. Paul, who actually outpolls Romney 15.2% to 14.6% (which of course is statistically insignificant), draws his support mainly from men (among whom he leads Romney 16% to 12%), while Romney is ahead among women 17%-14%. Paul captures 64% of the small amount of 18-29 year olds, while Romney gets only 4%. Romney, on the other hand leads handily among 30-49 year olds and voters over 65 19% to zero among the former and 24% to 5% among the latter. Among 50-64 year olds, Paul is ahead 15% to 9%.

Registered Republicans like Mitt over Rand by a factor of 17% to 8%, but among the almost three in ten self-described independents, Rand leads 31% to 10%. Among the 85% self-described conservatives, the two leaders are about tied 18% for Paul, 16% for Romney. Paul is the choice among those with college degrees; Romney is backed by those without college degrees.

Protestants choose Paul 21% to 14%, especially those are Born Again/Evangelical 24% to 9%. Both big city and rural voters favor Paul by big margins. The two are closer among small city and suburban voters. NASCAR Fans want Paul 23% to 9% over Romney, but Investor Investor Class voters prefer Romney 22% to 5%.

Certainly there is a long way to go and there is a long list of other contenders, including Huckabee who shows real strength among those who attend church services at least weekly a trait that could help him win Iowa again. For now, the real dynamic within the GOP is best personalized in the forms of Rand Paul and Mitt Romney. This is a classic split.

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Rand and Mitt Tied for 2016: A Tale of Two GOPs

** FILE ** Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul speaks at the Americans for Prosperity gathering Friday, Aug. 29, 2014, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) more >

Sen. Rand Paul said Monday that hell wait until the spring before deciding whether to officially launch a bid for the White House.

My wife and I are still talking about it, and weve agreed to continue talking about it, but I dont think there will be a final decision made until the spring, Mr. Paul told Breitbart.com.

Mr. Paul said his decision to run as a presidential candidate will depend on whether or not he believes the GOP is ready to endorse a different kind of Republican.

Theres a lot of different variables, not just family life but also whether or not we think the electorate is warming up to these ideas and ready for maybe a different kind of Republican a Republican that keeps the core values and beliefs of what we stood for but also has issues and areas of where we can reach out to new people, he said.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the leading potential Democratic presidential candidate, said last week that she, too, will wait until the new year before deciding whether to run for her partys nomination.

I do have a unique vantage point and a set of experiences about what makes the United States operate well and what doesnt, and what a president can do and should be doing, Mrs. Clinton, a former first lady, told an audience at an event in Mexico City last week where she was traveling to promote student scholarship funding from billionaire Carlos Slim.

So I am going to be making a decision around probably after the first of the year about whether Im going to run again or not, Mrs. Clinton told the audience, CBS News reported Monday.

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Rand Paul says he will make 2016 decision by spring