n late September 1983, one month before the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, the Reagan administration continued to insist that the War Powers Act did not apply to the U.S. military presence in Lebanon.
''The administration wants our stamp of approval,'' said a young Sen. Joseph Biden, ''but it is unwilling to commit itself to our laws.''
About a quarter-century later, Sen. Barack Obama told The Boston Globe, "The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."
Today, Obama and Biden lead an administration engaged in a military conflict without legislative consent. The 1973 War Powers Resolution compels presidents to secure congressional approval within 60 days of U.S. military forces' "imminent involvement" or "introduction" into "hostilities." U.S. operations in Libya violated that deadline on Friday.
Congressional leaders barely shrugged. The chattering class is quiet. President Obama, a former constitutional law professor, wrote a letter late Friday denying the War Powers Act applies to the current situation.
The president said he welcomed "Congressional action in support of the mission," which "would underline the U.S. commitment." But the administration argues this "support" is not required. It says the action in Libya is not war but, euphemistically, a "limited kinetic action."
Yet Obama has already applied the act to Libya. On March 21, to comply with the law, he officially notified Congress that the military was engaged there. "I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution," the letter closed.
Full text.
I feel the need to quote Bob Dylan but I shall not.|||Quote:
I feel the need to quote Bob Dylan but I shall not.
Not much point to doing so, yes?
Limited Kinetic Action:
Spoiler
|||The French.They try to sell you the plane one year and bomb you with them the next.|||
oops.... wrong thread.....|||is ending?
http://news.yahoo.com/libya-rebels-t...224430097.html|||I really hope that whatever regime replaces Ghaddafi's isn't one that we're going to feel the pressing need to remove 20 years down the road.|||More than likely it will be a repeat of most of the other regimes in the area. Another dictatorship complete with loads of human rights violations and widespread poverty. I suppose there's always a chance they'll get it right though.
In any event, given the current state of the U.S. and the present indicators as to where we're headed, I'm not so sure we will be in any position to remove anybody twenty years from now.|||Hmm, makes you wonder who we're really replacing Qaddafi with.|||That's pretty standard for a revolution and Alien Mercenaries treatment Saro.
Even western ones.
and from the same article
You notice they emptied out a lot of the jails as well?
and these are the guys they are executing
"Amnesty International stated yesterday that it had uncovered evidence that regime forces had killed detainees held at two camps in Tripoli. One of the attacks took place at a military camp in Khilit al-Ferjan where 160 detainees attempted to get away after the guards told them that the gates were unlocked. "As the detainees barged through the hangar gates, two other guards opened fire and threw five hand grenades at the group," said the human rights group in a report. Twenty-three of the prisoners managed to make good their escape and were able to receive treatment at a Tripoli hospital."
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