Instead, he would first seek authorisation from Congress.
He could seek authorisation from his former boss.
But Mr Hollande was rather left in the lurch when Mr Obama decided to seek authorisation from Congress for military strikes.
The administration will seek authorisation from Congress for $5 billion to fund counter-terrorism partnerships with willing governments, from Yemen to Mali.
Farmers seek authorisation from the environment agency to dispose of sheep dip, usually by diluting it before spreading it on designated land.
So we may never know whether MI6 sought authorisation from Straw, or Blair – who has said he knew nothing of the Libyan renditions.
Thomson is seeking authorisation from the City regulator, the Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Financial Conduct Authority to set up Atom as a digital bank without branches.
The fact that the prime minister ordered the attacks without seeking authorisation from parliament only underlines the weakness of a government that was in reality simply waiting for authorisation from a bellicose and unstable US president.
Mr Obama, who is currently seeking authorisation from Congress to use military force against Isis fighters in Iraq and Syria, has faced criticism for not doing more to confront the militant threat.
After the British vote and Mr Obama's decision to seek authorisation from Congress, Mr Hollande reaffirmed France's determination to take action against the regime.The French president enjoys sweeping powers to order such military action.
