The White House is asserting President Obama already has authority for the expanded military campaign against the Islamic State he has asked Congress to approve. The message was delivered to lawmakers ahead of Obama’s address to the nation tonight. Obama is expected to outline his strategy for what the White House calls “degrading and ultimately destroying the terrorist group.” Leaked details forecast a long-term campaign that will extend U.S. airstrikes from Iraq to Syria, where ISIS has established a foothold battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Obama’s calculations are said to include how to intervene without aiding the Assad regime. Speaking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Obama’s plan is informed by the mistakes of the Iraq War.

Josh Earnest: “You know, the president is very interested in communicating clearly with the American public about what our priorities are and what our plans include, and what our plans don’t include. And it’s important to note that the president, as much as anyone else, has certainly learned the lessons that are evident from previous military activities in Iraq. Specifically those are that the United States cannot — again, at least it does not serve our interest to put the United States in a position in which we are bearing the load of the responsibility for providing security in the nation of Iraq.”

Although Obama has asked Congress to vote on the authorization of force he says he already has, it’s unclear if enough lawmakers want the opportunity. Speaking to The New York Times, Republican Rep. Jack Kingston, who supports an authorization vote, said: “A lot of people would like to stay on the sideline and say, 'Just bomb the place and tell us about it later.' It’s an election year. A lot of Democrats don’t know how it would play in their party, and Republicans don’t want to change anything. We like the path we’re on now. We can denounce it if it goes bad, and praise it if it goes well and ask what took him so long.”