Summary of 60 Words and a War Without End

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, White House counsel Alberto Gonzalez’s team drafted a resolution authorizing the US president to go after the perpetrators of the attack. After a short back-and-forth between members of Congress and White House lawyers, the two parties settled on a resolution that gave the president the power to “use all necessary and appropriate force” against the 9/11 perpetrators “to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States.” The resolution, known as the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), was only 60 words long and specified no end date. Still in shock about the terrorist attacks and eager to see the US retaliate, the US Congress almost unanimously approved the resolution. Congresswoman Barbara Lee was the only person who voted no, citing the unprecedented, sweeping powers it gave the president to combat terrorism anywhere in the world without congressional approval.