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60 Words and a War Without End
Article

60 Words and a War Without End

The Untold Story of the Most Dangerous Sentence in U.S. History

Buzzfeed, 2014

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Background

Recommendation

Award-winning journalist Greg Johnsen explains how a law Congress hastily passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks has given rise to a new set of presidential powers that the country’s founding fathers never wanted a US president to have. getAbstract recommends this eye-opening piece to the general reader interested in the historical and legal background of America’s seemingly unending war on terrorism. 

Take-Aways

  • Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the US Congress hastily passed a resolution authorizing US president George W. Bush to go after the perpetrators of the attacks and combat international terrorism.  
  • The resolution, known as the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), was only 60 words long and specified no end date.
  • Congresswoman Barbara Lee was the only person who voted against it, citing the unprecedented, sweeping powers it gave the president to combat terrorism anywhere in the world without congressional approval.

About the Author

Greg Johnsen is a writer at large for BuzzFeed News and is based in Istanbul.