President Reticent

National Review ^ | March 22, 2011 | Stanley Kurtz

[Plutarch]

Obama doesn’t tell you what he’s thinking. He keeps his motives to himself. Cherished long-term ideological goals are advanced as pragmatic fixes to concrete problems in the present. Now we’re seeing the familiar domestic pattern in foreign policy as well.

Few Americans realize that Obama has had a longstanding interest in multilateral efforts to combat war crimes and genocide. Obama would like to see a more constraining international legal regime on war crimes, even at the cost of national sovereignty, not to mention the blood and treasure of the countries doing the enforcing. In general, Obama has said little about his larger foreign policy goals. To the extent that he has done so, Obama seems more the “realist” than an advocate of humanitarian intervention.

Yet for years, Samantha Power, a prominent advocate of humanitarian intervention and a key backer of our action in Libya, has been a powerful member of Obama’s foreign policy team. In 2005, Obama contacted Power after reading her book on genocide. There followed a long conversation, after which Power left Harvard to work for Obama, quic‘kly emerging as his senior foreign policy advisor.

{excerpt}

[TigersEye]

Which of those three pre-conditions was met? The language of the WPA is absolute in regard to them.

[Plutarch]

We've been on Samantha Power at FR, and now National Review and Rush Limbaugh are catching up.

• The Rise of Samantha Power and the risks for the American- Israel relationship

  Monday, March 21, 2011 6:27:01 PM · 13 of 24
  Plutarch to SkyPilot

  This lady is a celebrity hounding left-wing activist, and she is launching wars.

  

  
  PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 18: Writer Nicholas Kristof, author Samantha Power, Orlando Bagwell of the Ford Foundation and director Cara Mertes attend Cinema Cafe at Prospector Square Theatre during Sundance Film Festival on January 18th, 2009 in Park City, Utah.

  
  Activists and artists joined forces on the night of July 9 to inspire hundreds of playgoers to take action to end the genocide in Darfur. Almost two thousand people attended a free reading of Winter Miller’s captivating play, “In Darfur,” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, New York City.

  From left to right: John Prendergast, Samantha Power, Nicholas Kristof, Dauod Hari, Omer Ismail, Mia Farrow, Winter Miller and Mark Hanis.

  More celebrity hounding humanitarian mission pimping for Samantha Power, this at the White House.

  The US has launched a war so Samantha Power can better chum it up with George Clooney and Mia Farrow.

  October 12, 2010, Mr. Clooney Goes to Washington

  
  George Clooney and John Prendergast walk out of the West Wing with Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the National Security Council Samantha Power

  Does anyone recall the confirmation hearings for Samantha Power to be Special Assistant to the President and runs the Office of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights?

  No, the Special Assistant to the President is code word for a Czar. She is starting wars, but was never vetted or approved by the Senate.

[TigersEye]

Face it, we have a full-fledged banana republic military junta for a government now.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Which of those three pre-conditions was met? The language of the WPA is absolute in regard to them."

The way I understand "pursuant to", it means that you can do something with one of the following three conditions met later. In other words, Obama can do this (per the War Powers Act) with one of those three conditions being met at a later date. In other words, Obama has to go to Congress to get a declaration of War or a Joint resolution. He hasn't done that part of the requirement yet, but he still has time to do them. So he can deliver this official notification to Congress with the idea that in the near future (I believe the War Powers Act gives him 30 days) he has to go to Congress to get a declaration of war or a joint resolution.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Face it, we have a full-fledged banana republic military junta for a government now."

We're in agreement on that one...

[Old Teufel Hunden]

Out of all of those clowns in the pictures who advocate us going into Darfur militarily, I’ll bet not one of them has put on the uniform to risk his own rear end. Yet, they want to send our troops in to risk their lives in a conflict that has no U.S. national interests.

[TigersEye]

The way I understand "pursuant to", it means that you can do something with one of the following three conditions met later.

The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances,...

What does the word 'before' mean?

[TigersEye]

I would also point out that the word ‘pursuant’ means ‘to follow’ or ‘following’ or ‘requisite upon’ and the three conditions of that paragraph are the things set forth to be followed by “...to introduce United States Armed Forces into...”

[Old Teufel Hunden]

It’s not worth arguing over. The fact is that he’s not in compliance with the Constitution. Thats the most important point.

[TigersEye]

The rule of law is not worth arguing about? OK.

I didn't know we were having an argument.

[karnage]

Das is richtig, Devil Dog!

[karnage]

He is not an idiot. He is a well-schooled Alinskyite, very focused, extremely driven, and highly skilled at manipulating people. He has handled his handlers.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"I didn't know we were having an argument."

Perhaps debate is a better word then.