Posted on 06/03/2011 7:59:54 PM PDT by Abakumov
The White House has finally forged a bipartisan consensus in Congress. Unfortunately for President Obama, lawmakers are uniting in opposition to his approach to the ongoing U.S. involvement in the Libyan civil war. Some see the operation as an ill-advised and useless military venture; others argue that Mr. Obama is breaking the law....
The War Powers Resolution comes into effect “in any case in which United States Armed Forces are introduced into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances.” The plain words of the statute apply to Libya. On April 26 the Defense Department designated troops operating in Libya, Tunisia and a portion of the Mediterranean Sea as eligible for imminent danger pay of $225 a month, retroactive to March 19, which was the onset of Operation Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector. According to the Pentagon, such a designation applies to “foreign areas where U.S. military personnel are subject to the threat of physical harm or imminent danger on the basis of civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism or wartime conditions.” There’s nothing “intermittent” or “nonkinetic” about that.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
The Nobel Committee should rescind their award. Wonder if they have the guts.
No way they ever would, that would be racism.
Dear Colleague:
You will be asked to vote on two resolutions; H.Con.Res. 51 and a resolution offered by Speaker Boehner, H.Res. 292, both of which address U.S. military involvement in Libya. While H.Res. 292 is not at odds with H.Con.Res.51, it is not a substitute for my resolution and does not have anywhere near the same impact. There are clear differences and it is imperative that members clearly understand them because a consequence of voting for one (H.Res. 292) and not the other (H.Con.Res. 51) is an endorsement of the illegal and unconstitutional action that has been taken by the White House.
How do we deal with the failure of a President to adhere to the Constitution? If Congress does not challenge a President’s dismissal of the clear meaning of Article 1, Section 8, then we will have tacitly endorsed a President’s violation of the Constitution and guaranteed the perpetuation of future constitutional transgressions. A mild rebuke alone of the usurpation of a constitutionally mandated war power is insufficient to defend the Constitution.
Though many of us may want to support our President, the President has ignored Congress’ assertion of the war power by failing to obey the War Powers Resolution. Congress fought for this power in 1973 when it passed the War Powers Resolution over a presidential veto. My resolution requires the President to abide by the statutory obligations of the War Powers Resolution by ending U.S. involvement in military operations in Libya.
Our loyalty to NATO and to our President, regardless of party affiliation, does not trump our loyalty to the United States Constitution.
Sincerely,
Dennis J. Kucinich
The forging stuff is easy -- they've had lots of practice.
I thought dropping bombs over there was called humanitarian aid...
Good for the little weasel.
Considering Der fuhrer has been breaking the law for about 3 weeks now. Boehner and company should have been howling about this blatant end run around Congress’s authority since No-war began.
One party won’t ever act up too much for fear of the other making them pay for it.
BOTH parties, if they agree, are pretty much free to do as they please in the current system.
To them the Constitution is just a piece of paper.
Nah, nothing to see here folks. Hussein is just setting up the chess board for his second term.
Its not our war—its France and England’s War they get oil from Libya—we don’t. We are just helping along with their war efforts. To the Ango-French they know its really about cheap oil. They are crass enough to admit the truth. It will not last much longer—they are taking Quddaffi apart little by little. It will be over soon—a bullet, a bomb, a poison cup and the dictator will be gone. A new dictator will be put in—maybe one a bit more humane and civilized. New Franco-British oil companies will come in and drill. Tripoli will be rebuilt and it will become a nice tourist stop.
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