Two of the Senate’s most hawkish members, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R – SC) and Joe Lieberman (I – CT) today pushed for President Obama to make some sort of clear case for the Libya War, some 100+ days after it began.
President Obama has declined to make the case for the war, insisting he doesn’t need to explain the conflict because it doesn’t rise to the level of “hostilities.” This has led to Congressional opposition and a looming effort in the House to defund the war.
The Senators, however, who never saw a war they didn’t like, insist that it would be easy to get Congressional approval for the war, including according to Sen. Lieberman a resolution for regime change, if only the President would make some sort of case.
Indeed, given the ease with which Congress normally rubber stamps unwise wars, this might well have been the case in late March, but following the president’s repeated claims that he has no intention of seeking Congressional authorization, there has been ample time for Congress, at least the House of Representatives, to question the conflict, and they clearly don’t like what they see.
Maybe Congress "clearly doesn't like what they see," but I'll bet they approve the Libyan war. Killing Arabs always plays well with the home folks.
Congress is authorizing the war by default by doing nothing effective to stop Obama from waging his war. Congress along with Obama share responsibility for this war for again failing to exercise its constitutional obligation to decide on war. Nasty words about Obama's Libya adventure and about its expense count for nothing. Effective action, like impeachment or defunding the war, are actions that congress can take that have a chance to end US involvement in this civil war.
As if Obomber needed pushing when it comes to warmongering.
O. will never do this. He heads a "unitary presidency" on the model proposed by Dick Cheney. For these guys, the Congress is irrelevant.