Did President Obama read what Jim Fallows and I wrote? What else can explain his decision to ask Congress for authorization to strike Syria militarily?

Okay, probably he didn’t read either of us. Asking this, however, is a great idea. It gets the Congress on record, which I’m sure the President and his aides think might reduce the number of potshots taken at him.

It elicited a couple of responses from Congresspeople, including this unintentionally hilarious one from Rep. Peter King, R-NY:

“President Obama is abdicating his responsibility as commander-in-chief and undermining the authority of future presidents. The President does not need Congress to authorize a strike on Syria.

Actually, Representative King, he kinda does. The fact that most Presidents since World War II have done without Congressional authorization means Presidents have arrogated power to their office over the years while Congress has avoided its constitutional obligation to issue declarations of war.

Rep. King and many of his colleagues would just as soon avoid voting for or against a military strike on Syria, I’m pretty sure, but they’re going to have to do so.