In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt contrived a plan to send all 16 of America's battleships — his beloved Great White Fleet — steaming around the globe, to prove that the United States was now a great maritime power. When word got out, Congress balked, threatening to withhold funds for what was regarded as a wasteful extravagance. Roosevelt responded that he already had the money he needed, adding: "Try and get it back!"
This story comes to mind in the wake of President Barack Obama's unexpected decision to seek congressional approval before taking any action in Syria. According to reports, Obama surprised even his closest advisers when he told them that he preferred to act only with legislative authorization. Predictably, an avalanche of criticism has followed.
A presidential request for congressional approval is no new thing. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush sought a resolution authorizing military action to drive Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait. President George W. Bush did the same in 2001, to obtain congressional approval for the invasion of Afghanistan. And of course Lyndon Johnson went to Congress in 1964 for the Tonkin Gulf Resolution that ultimately provided the legal basis for U.S. escalation of the Vietnam War.