Free Republic

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich on Friday called on Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to resign, rebuking him for telling a congressional panel that the U.S. would “seek international permission” before intervening in the ongoing bloodshed in Syria. “I have been told that the secretary of defense has suggested that international agreements override the Congress,” Gingrich told supporters in Gulfport, Mississippi. “If he believes that, he should resign tonight.” Responding to a statement that the U.S. was placing military resolutions of the United Nations, NATO and the Arab League ahead of those made by Congress, Panetta told the Senate Armed Services...

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta appeared at a Senate Armed Services Committee congressional hearing, where he said “legal basis” was needed to initiate a no-fly zone over Syria.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta appeared at a Senate Armed Services Committee congressional hearing, where he said “legal basis” was needed to initiate a no-fly zone over Syria. (video at link)

Politics: Does the Constitution matter in executive decisions to go to war, or is the U.S. military just the president's plaything, subject to his getting U.N. "permission" to use it? Unsettling testimony this week suggested the latter. As a revolt in Syria heats up with talk of U.S. intervention, Senate Armed Services Committee member Jeff Sessions stumbled upon an astounding discovery about the White House attitude toward its oath of office and putting U.S. troops in harm's way. "We spend our time worrying about the U.N., the Arab League, NATO, and too little time, my opinion, worrying about the elected...