Fox news published an article, “Lawmakers Angry With Obama Over Libyan Strike, Warn Administration Lacks 'End-Game'” discussing the poor reviews Obama is receiving over the missile strikes onto Libya. President Obama did not turn to congress before finalizing his decision of what to do over the situation, creating disturbance over the people. Rep. Dennis Kucinich has said that this violates the constitution and that “this is a nightmare.” Libya did not threaten America, resulting in America now possibly heading to war with Libya. Many people are angered by the decision Obama carried out and are waiting for him to turn to congress and consult with them. Rep. Jerrold Nadler wrote "the Constitution, rightly, does not allow a single person to commit the nation to war, even where there is a good reason to do so.” Others such as John Boehner, believes it had to be done, although agrees that Obama should have confirmed with congress before doing so. Below is a video from Fox news stating the issues of the power, which were taken, advantaged of.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/21/lawmakers-angry-obama-libyan-strike-warn-administration-lacks-end-game/
Fox News of course has neglected to mention that there have only been five wars declared by Congress in the history of the United States. That being said, most presidents have obtained some kind of Congressional authority for war.
ReplyDeleteI do commend Fox news however for bringing the potential constitutional issues into the national conversation, and for drawing attention to the fact that the US has entered yet another war.
I believe the law under which the President used military forces in Libya is the War Powers Act of 1973, which allows the President to send military forces into action without a declaration of war by Congress. This is only in the case where the US is under attack "or there exists an imminent threat." As far as I know, the US has not been attacked, and although I'm sure the President gets more military intelligence than me, as far as I know, there is no "imminent threat." I'm not sure I agree with the way he justifies his actions legally but, I assume the War Powers Act of 1973 is what his argument would be based on.
ReplyDeleteIf there really is no imminent threat from Libya (which it doesn't seem like there is, otherwise everyone would understand the president's decision)and the President is violating the constitution, this would be very disappointing to hear. In my opinion, the president should discuss with congress before deciding such vital decisions. Also, the video is very informative when reporting news on events of bloodshed around the world and how the president reacted to it.
ReplyDelete