The White House has said that President Barack Obama is open to negotiating several aspects of his proposed authorization to use military force against the ISIS terror group, including his proposed three-year time limit on U.S. military action and the use of ground troops.

According to the Associated Press, White House officials say Obama is firmly opposed to any geographic restrictions on where the U.S. military can pursue ISIS militants, who have strongholds in Iraq and Syria but have been operating across international boundaries. But they did said he is open to debate on much of the rest of his offer.

"I'm not at all going to be surprised if there are members of Congress who take a look at this legislation and decide, `Well, I think there are some things that we should tweak here, and if we do, we might be able to build some more support for,"' said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. "So I think it is fair for you to assume that this reflects a starting point in conversations."

Lawmakers are expected to consider the authorization request this week after returning from a weeklong break. Some Republicans say Obama's proposal is too restrictive for the mission to succeed. On the other side, some Democrats want more limitations on Obama's authority so the United States doesn't sign on for another open-ended war.

Obama argues he doesn't need a new authorization to pursue ISIS terrorists legally -- and he's been launching strikes against them for months based on authorizations given to President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But critics say Obama's use of those authorizations is a stretch at best, and the White House has taken a new position that makes it clear it doesn't see reliance on that authority as ideal, either. White House officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations on the record....