Speaking today on NBC’s Meet the Press, Senator and war-enthusiast Lindsey Graham (R – SC) said that the US Congress should “sort of shut up” about the illegal war in Libya, saying an effort to debate that president’s decision to launch the confilict would “empower Gadhafi.”
President Obama has claimed the War Powers Act doesn’t apply to the war in Libya, because it isn’t technically “hostilities.” This claim is in spite of legal advice to the contrary from both Pentagon and Justice Department councils that attacking Libya most assuredly is “hostilities.”
For Sen. Graham, however, the semantic argument doesn’t even enter into it. Rather he insists that President Obama’s position as “commander-in-chief” makes it inappropriate for Congress to exercise any oversight over who he chooses to attack.
Graham insisted that if the war ended, the price of oil would “double” because Gadhafi, who is barely able to maintain control over half of his country, would “take the whole region and put it into chaos.”
President Obama’s deadline to seek Congressional authorization was May 20. Even though his administration had insisted before this that the War Powers Act did apply, he changed course over the past week, insisting it is a special case.
Lindsey Graham is nothing more than a RINO at best and a CLOSET LIBERAL / PROGRESSIVE at worst. He is a TRAITOR and must be VOTED OUT along with MC CAIN and BOEHNER . . .
The upcoming 2012 Election is about POWER . . . Eliminating as many LIBERALS & PROGRESSIVES as possible and replacing them with STRONG CONSERVATIVES, not RINO's !
OBAMA must GO, along with the whole "CREW" in DC !
Indeed, our government, and corporate bought politicians are the greatest danger to the American people. These hoodlums wink and nod with each other regardless of their phoney party affiliation. Americans must wake up and revolt, or end up in a Orwellian world of sorts.
I do love the bs from the right.
Obama gives hundreds of billions to wall street and lets the bankers run the economy, and he's called a socialist.
Now I get to see a crazy rightwing conservative like Graham get called a 'liberal' and a 'progressiv'e. Absolutely amazing.
Hint … socialists fight for the working people, not for wall street. And liberals and progressives oppose wars, no matter what Obama tries to call himself.
At least admit that Graham is your own right-wing conservative, crazy pro-war Senator. He's your problem to solve. Don't try to pretend that conservative South Carolina somehow sent a liberal progressive to Congress. Graham is on your side, not ours.
Hmm, I wonder if's too late to convince Lindsey he's really the abandoned child of a family of Canadian snowbirds who left him in a motel room in Myrtle Beach one winter?
So there is Lindsey Graham, on his knees before Caesar, declaring that the Emperor can do anything that an Emperor might want to do.
Holy Thomas Jefferson, Graham is repugnant and obscene.
"Lindsey Graham (R – SC) said that the US Congress should “sort of shut up” about the illegal war in Libya, saying an effort to debate that president’s decision to launch the confilict would “empower Gadhafi.”
Thank you for input Senator.., now you can go home and play with your toys.
Now that you have said what is in your mind about US senate.., which shows.., in fact hammers the fact that you are nothing but yet another racist warmonger among rightwing short sleeves pageants from North Carolina pretending to defend America by your falsified accusations and stupefied moral supporting a war where Libyan People have done nothing to America.., it shows that your masters in Persian gulf feeding you well with garbage. You Sir are a disgrace to the power that people of North Carolina given you, you truly deserve better by staying home play with your toys.
"Rather he insists that President Obama’s position as “commander-in-chief” makes it inappropriate for Congress to exercise any oversight over who he chooses to attack."
Then why have a Congress? Mr.Graham's arguments are all weak. Seems to me he just wants his War(never met one he didn't like) and Imperial Presidency
As an officer in the reserves, Graham clearly puts his weekend warrior fealty to his feudal lord – er, Commander-in-Chief – far above his duties as a Senator. The man is a craven lickspittle, a prime example of the pathetic specimens of humanity that grease the mechanisms of tyranny.
Senator.., did you know about these costs to American people are paid by the American people.., if you didn't you better read about it then.
"The Pentagon sent 120,000 halal meals ready to eat (MREs) to Benghazi at a cost of $1.3m. And by 30 September it reckons its Libya bill will have risen to $1.1bn. I know all this because it was laid out in a document produced by the Obama administration for Congress last week". Guardian UK
How many teachers salaries could we pay with these billions? An avg teacher makes just over $40k a year.
How many nurses salaries could we pay?
How much health care could we give to people who don't get health care right now?
How many jobs could we create with these billions?
How many homes could we rescue from foreclosure?
There are so many things in this country that we are being told that we can't afford. We are even being told that we have to take away our children's and grandchildren's retirement and chances at medical care when they get older in order to pay for the deficits caused by these wars.
Yet, our leaders in DC can find billions upon billions of dollars to spend on these overseas wars that most of the American people oppose.
Senator Graham needs to SHUT UP and quit displaying to the world what idiots we manage to elect to public office. He's an embarrassment and a liability on the international political stage.
Why are there so many of these loony toons in Congress?
We vote for them!
please stop doing this in 2012.
Don't vote for people who promote and continue these wars.
Don't vote for the people who get billions from wall street or defense industries.
If you want an honest Senator or Representative, vote for one of the candidates that doesn't have millions in 'contributions' in his/her accounts. The millions in the campaign accounts tell you that the others have already been bought. To get someone honest, you'll have to learn to vote for broke candidates that can't buy tv ads.
And that pretty much sums up Americans.
Joe Lieberman has two leashes, each with choker collars. McCain's on one and Graham on the other.
And the Insurance Industry has hold of the one around Lieberman's neck…
Graham is long past his sell-by date. I suppose he views anyone who criticizes his own actions as being out of line?
So let it be written… So let it be done!
In a real democracy, the rest of the Senate would immediately use its power to unseat Sen. Graham.
Each Senator takes an oath of office to uphold and defend the Constitution. Sen. Graham has just violated that oath with these statements. Sen. Graham is saying that the Constitution doesn't apply. The Constitution firmly gives the power to declare war to the Congress. Congress chose (unwisely in my mind) to delegate some of this power for short time to the President in the War Powers Act.
There is certainly legitimate dispute about whether President Obama is in compliance with the war powers act. Even Pentagon lawyers question this. At this point, there should be nothing more important for this Congress to be discussing than whether or not the President is in compliance with federal law and the constitution.
Sen. Graham is failing to honor his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. As such, he should be removed from that office at the earliest opportunity. Ideally, the rest of the Senate would be so shocked by this direct denial of his constitutional duties that it would use its power to immediately remove him from that seat.
If I went and smacked Obama in his bitch ass mouth I would at least have the common courtesy of stating my intentions honestly. Dropping bombs on people, then saying "I'm not at war with you." is a whole new level of asshattery. And maybe Graham should take his own advice for once and STFU.
Senator Graham is a TRAITOR to the US who along with fellow TRAITORS and ZIONISTS Joe Lieberman and John McCain should be put on a very leaky boat on a one way sail directly to Israel.
IF in the next election – Graham is reelected – then it will be proof positive that the people of South Carolina are all idiots and morons – along with the idiots and morons in MA who vote for Lieberman and along with the idiots and morons who vote for McCain in AZ.
Sadly – we have a Congress filled with TRAITORS to the US.
Forget smaking his b-tch a– mouth break his b-tch a– jaw.But then you would be in jail well he keeps getting Americans killed along with the people including civilians of these illegal wars and stays free talk about backwards.
(Edited.–AK, moderator.)