US senators challenge Obama on Libya

[The Northerner]

WASHINGTON (AFP) – In a challenge to President Barack Obama's handling of the conflict in Libya, a group of US senators accused him on Wednesday of violating a 1973 law aimed at curtailing the White House's war powers.

Conservative Republicans Rand Paul, Jim DeMint, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson, Tom Coburn, and John Cornyn wrote a letter to Obama charging that he had committed US forces "without regard to, or compliance with" the War Powers Act.

The senators pressed Obama to say whether he would abide by a requirement in the law -- ignored by several US presidents -- that US forces start withdrawing from a conflict within 60 days unless explicitly authorized by the Congress.

"Friday is the final day of the statutory sixty day period for you to terminate the use of the United States Armed Forces in Libya under the War Powers Resolution," the lawmakers said in their letter.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110518/pl_afp/libyaconflictuslawcongress

[Bucky]

1. I've seen the same question posed around here. What authorization is there for this?

The law is the law. I agree with the president's approach in Libya, but he needs to formally make the case to Congress if he's using the country's war powers.

[emulatorloo]

2. That's a real motley crew. Fascinating n/t

[ixion]

3. They had no problem with BushCo doing it, though

just sayin'...

[joeybee12]

4. Of course not...

the hypocrisy is outstanding!!!

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. Bush got authorization from Congress to use military force in Iraq and Afghanistan

[gratuitous]

5. I suspect we're going to see some legal sleight of hand

Perhaps some kind of "interruption" of military force commitment, which the administration will claim resets the 60-day clock, and we'll all get a chance to see if Libya blows up during that time. And it's not about anything in violation of the Constitution or our treaty obligations, so stop saying that. This is totally different from anything the Bush administration did, which wasn't wrong either, because we're not investigating that, because we're lookin' forward to the future, not backwards to the past, and besides other presidents have ignored the law too, so it can't be illegal, and besides shut up.

[emulatorloo]

6. Look at who is complaining - there may be issues, but these asshole are just in it to score points.

Rand Paul, Jim DeMint, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson, Tom Coburn, and John Cornyn - those fuckers don't give a shit about the War Powers Act.

[gratuitous]

7. I care less about the personalities involved than in the law being followed

Whether there are political points to be scored (and there always are, it seems), I'm a lot more interested in seeing the law being followed. I didn't like it when Bush plunged us into two wars, skirting the Constitution with the consent of most of Congress, and I don't like it when Obama seems on the verge of doing the same thing.

I decline to trim my principles to suit this year's fashion.

[emulatorloo]

8. Who is asking you to trim your principles. Just want you to be aware of who your bedfellows are

You saw my post, I said this was a real issue. But that crowd is a bunch of Snakes. Cornyn especially defended every abuse that Bush perpetrated.

[gratuitous]

10. Well, I don't know that they're my bedfellows

But someone has to bring up the law from time to time, and it sure doesn't appear that congressional Democrats in either the House or the Senate are inclined to do so. And who can blame them? Disagree with Obama or the administration's policies for any reason, and you can look forward to being lumped in with the racists and the Tea Baggers. Sort of like . . .

Hey!