Is it Time for a New AUMF?

After 9/11 Congress passed an Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) to fight the al Qaeda terrorists who attacked us and anyone or any nation which helped them. Pres. George W. Bush violated that by sending the military to war in Iraq when there was no justification under either the AUMF or based on the arguments they gave that Iraq had nuclear weapons or a nuclear weapon program. Pres. Barack Obama sent the military to Afghanistan and destroyed al Qaeda there and killed Osama bin Laden. Then, in response to an al Qaeda offshoot called Islamic State (nicknamed also ISIS, ISIL, and Daesch) and began the war to destroy them. These were clearly authorized under the AUMF. Our assistance to the Saudi regime with their war in Yemen had to be authorized in some other way. Today Pres. Donald J. Trump has American forces in many places and fighting many foes who aren't clearly part of or a derivative of al Qaeda. The Republicans Bush and Trump have broken the law like George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon before them. No AUMF stops them because Congress refused to step in and stop them.

Today we have many reasons to believe the actions (or inactions) of Pres. Trump are influenced (or even directed) by other leaders (perhaps Vladimir Putin or Bibi Netanyahu or others). We can't trust he will direct the military to remain peaceful or to fight the appropriate battles. We need a new AUMF or simply a Congressional Resolution to clarify their support or lack thereof for current actions vis a vis the AUMF. Does Congress believe current military actions are justified under the current AUMF? It seems doubtful they could say yes.

It's time to specify the groups the old AUMF could justify fighting in order to limit its random use for any crazy idea the president may have.