The Obama Administration has already publicly endorsed the narrative of Syrian government chemical weapons strikes in their own capital city, and has already decided to attack Syria within the next two weeks. Where is Congress in all of this?
Still in recess, and war enthusiast Rep. Eliot Engel (D – NY) is urging President Obama to get the war started before that recess ends, saying Congress doesn’t have to be involved until the war is already in progress.
That’s in keeping with the administration’s most recent war, when they waited until the last possible moment to inform Congress about the ongoing war in Libya and then openly refused to seek Congressional approval, despite the law explicitly requiring them to do so, on the grounds that it wasn’t “technically” a war. Congress would be extremely easy to sideline if the war is already going on, and that’s a key point of the latest rush.
Still, sometimes it’s nice to be asked, and some in Congress are expressing hope that they’ll actually get “consulted” with. The early indications are that leadership in both parties, hawkish as a matter of course, are on board with another war, and just needed to be told when and where. Or told after the fact, they’re flexible.
Still, that’s only part of the story, and while the administration’s ‘consultation’ will naturally begin and end with the pro-war leadership, an awful lot of Congressmen are expressing major concerns about the US jumping into this next quagmire.
Recent history is not supportive of the idea that Congress would actually stop a war, and particularly if it gets started before they have a chance to pass any resolutions, there is a strong tendency to shrug it off. Still, if it ever does get a hearing in Congress expect a contentious debate, centering around the paucity of evidence for the allegations against the Assad government and the risks of supporting an al-Qaeda dominated rebellion.
By the time big media gets done pumping these lies night after night congress will feel they have the political cover for another war.
Is Eliot Engel a dual citizen?
yes…
Engel is a treasonous rat…..loyal to to the rogue state of Israel but not to America!
Did Roman congress reacted when empire wanted to conquer Egypt?
Madness
Actually not madness. Finally it is for profit. Only for profit they do kill. These mass murder provided by US proxy killers on Syrian children by gas, opens again the door the the war they want. Killing children works best for them, so they did find somebody who did this dirty job.
The Syrian army in the last three months cleaned out most places of the US/NATO-Guerrilla fighters. The US proxy guerrilla war on Syria would have found its end and there would be peace again. All incoming killers from abroad were killed as they came. Even IF Syria would like to take gas against the terrorists, they NEVER would have done this in the end phase of war.
But killing the children
Congress has approx 200 million dollars of personal assets invested in military companies. Aggression for them means using products and securing more contracts and more money from taxed US citizens, and a chance at increased hegemony over Mid East oil.
I hope the Empire will pay dearly for all the destruction, plundering and suffering they are bringing upon other countries.
Mind-blowing. An open discussion on how to finagle not having to start a decision process by performing a fait accompli on the quick. In a "democracy".
This war criminal Obama who killed 60,000 Libyans is also responsible for the hundred children terribly killed by poison gas in Syria, and uses his crime to "justify" a new war.
End of Mai thisn year turkish newspapers reported having found poison gas in the provinces den Provinzen Adan and Mersia. The Turksih police found 2Kgs Sarin gas by Al-Nusra terrorists. Most warmongering NATO-media includiong antiwar does never report such news. I long time ago stopped informing antiwar, because they NEVER publish anything that does not fit into their reports where they try to fool the US antiwar movement. If somebody is interested in more about this – check: http://wp.me/a7ORt-6x
This man and those behind him, have to be stopped.. The world and USA, the nation he abused for his murder will be destroyed by them !
Lets see the argument is that the Syrians are killing civilians with weapons of mass destruction, now in the US any bomb is now a weapon of mass destruction, so is Obama going to attack himself because America thinks nothing of attacking civilians with weapons of mass destruction it does it all the time, Is there any difference to Syria killing civilians or Obama killing civilians with UAVs!
I guess you don't get any points killing-your-own-civilians… but you get a free-game when you rack up enough of someone-else's-civilians. Especially when the ref isn't looking… But I don't know: I haven't really kept up since Pacman II.
That seems an extremely stupid question "will Congress act" considering the feeble-brained fools are in lock step with the Israel lobby and their is an Israeli delegation now visiting the White House, which no doubt is pushing for military action.
They are insane, all of them, and that includes the insane and vicious Zionists.
Another trumped-up war is on the horizon. Syria has been on the right-wing hit list for a long time.
Even after the debacle in Iraq that killed over a million of its citizens, displaced 4 to 5 million others,
and destroyed a country already beaten down by economic sanctions, the Obama administration and its flunlkies in the media are pimping another war based on lies and subterfuge. It actually makes me sick that this guy (won) the Nobel Peace Prize.
the ONLY SOLUTION—-REVOLUTION—ALL ACROSS AMERIKA..
Congress will act…but they will only do that which will ensure that they take no responsibility for what happens and you can be sure that if Obama takes the country to war, again, the opposition party will be sure to point out to the voters that it was Obama who started another war – any bipartisan cheerleading from the sidelines during the run-up quickly forgotten, and denied if questioned. Just as they've spent the last 12 years trying to distance themselves from the AUMF in 2001 – 3 days after 9-11.
"Will Congress Act?"
—
No
Anything to look as bad as his predecessor, I guess. If Bush can go to war based on lies he made up, why not Obama? As for Hagel getting us antiwar folks all excited – bummer.
Maybe if he cared more for the rights of his precious LGBT crowd at home and abroad, he would have something to rest his laurels on. As it is, he does not – and now he will just follow the Israeli plans and carve a name for himself in the Arab Wars for Israel (all our warmongering should be called this from here on out) which have been ongoing since 9/11.
In other news Presidents Obama and G.W. Bush have reached agreement to share GW's Presidential Library.
In return for Obama allowing his presidency to be renamed "Bush 9th through 16th terms" Bush will rename the Library the "Bush/Obama Library".
Although agreement was not reached on some minor issues – for example, there will not be separate restrooms for each president's supporters – the overall deal was hailed as a watershed in bi-partisan development.
Obama wants to attack Someone, any one, who may have had something, anything, to do with said chemical attack. He acts like they will just roll over, and shrivel up, all scardey cat style. He's simply creating the likely hood that more "terrorists" will be created, and the reality of Perma War will get another boost. Congress @ zzzzzzz.
And after the "contentious" debate congress will overwhelmingly support invasion. The contentious side, however minute, will crawl back into their holes.
Anything to get NSA off the front pages. These guys are human abominations.