Cole-Lee collaboration a welcome departure

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole has talked many times during his 15 years in Washington of the importance of being able to work with members who don’t share the same worldview. Cole, R-Moore, is providing an example in his effort to return war powers to Congress.

An ally in his cause is Rep. Barbara Lee, a liberal Democrat from California. “We’re not exactly soul mates,” Cole told The Oklahoman’s Justin Wingerter last week.

But they both share concerns about the way presidents have used the authorization for use of military force (AUMF) granted to President George W. Bush by Congress a few days after the 9/11 attacks.

The AUMF gave the president authority to use “all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations, or persons.”

Lee voted against the initial authorization, saying she was concerned it could be used to justify U.S. engagement elsewhere. Those concerns proved valid. Since that time, the United States has been involved in military actions in Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia and several other locales.

Cole recently attached an amendment to the annual defense bill directing the president, within 30 days of the bill’s approval, to “provide to Congress a strategy and a budgetary analysis needed” to defeat al-Qaida, ISIS, the Taliban and The Islamic State of Iraq.

“No administration should be able to use the military when and wherever they want,” Cole said, and he's right.

Cole is part of a seven-member Oklahoma delegation made up entirely of staunch conservatives who have shown a willingness to work with the other side of the aisle. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, worked for years with ultra-liberal Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., in writing the Water Resources Development Act, a $10 billion piece of legislation approved last year. Rep. Steve Russell, R-Choctaw, has joined Democrats in arguing against efforts to keep all Syrian refugees out of this country. While in the House, Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, worked with California Democrat Jackie Speier on Social Security disability reform. Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, had to get buy-in from Democrats in crafting the most recent farm bill. The list goes on.

During the Obama administration, we wrote more than once about the relationship between former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, and Obama. Ideological opposites, they became friends in the U.S. Senate where they collaborated on some meaningful pieces of legislation, and remained friends after Obama won the presidency.

Cole’s work with Lee continues the tradition of Oklahomans finding common ground where possible. If the current AUMF is repealed, the two members likely would come down on opposite sides if a new authorization is written, with Cole in favor and Lee against. But together they will have helped to get this important issue to a vote. Washington could use more such collaborations.