Reps. Dennis Kucinich (left) and Ron Paul (right) are upset with Obama's actions on Libya.
*Besides Louis Farrakhan, President Barack Obama has also got certain members of Congress all bent out of shape over his decision to take military action against Moammar Kadafi.
Politico is reporting that the criticism is from all directions: from moderates, like Sens. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.); from those on the far left and right, like Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Ron Paul (R-Texas), who believe the president acted outside the Constitution; and from the establishment on both sides, including House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson of Connecticut and Republican Rep. Candice Miller of Michigan, a self-described “hawk.”
What it adds up to is this: The president, already taking heat for a perceived lack of engagement on pressing domestic matters, will arrive home from South America needing to justify to Congress and the public his decision to use force in Libya without seeking approval.
It remains to be seen whether Congress has reached a tipping point in its cession of war-making power to the executive branch, but it’s clear that U.S. intervention in Libya has hit a nerve with a war weary legislative branch.
“What is the vital U.S. national interest? … How much does he think it will cost us? What is the scope of the mission? How do you define success?” Miller said, ticking off a list of unanswered questions. “The president should come home, call us into session … and explain what he’s doing.”
Webb, a Marine and former Navy secretary, warned Monday on MSNBC that Congress has “been sort of on autopilot for almost 10 years now, in terms of presidential authority, in conducting these types of military operations absent the meaningful participation of the Congress.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) tweeted Sunday that the president is treating Congress as a “potted plant.”
Kucinich, whose words still hold sway among some on the left, raised the question of why it’s not called an impeachable offense.
“We’re neutered as a Congress. It’s like we don’t exist,” said Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), a longtime member of the Armed Services Committee who turned against the Iraq War. “I wish the president had not gone into Libya without first coming to Congress. We have for too long, as a Congress, been too passive when it comes to sending our young men and women to war.”
Some Republicans are considering bringing a vote on Libya to the House floor, though it’s not clear exactly what they would vote on.
“This is not a partisan issue with me; I have serious concerns about how prior Republican presidents have used or potentially misused that authority, and I think this should trigger a debate within Congress and [among] the American people about proper interpretation and application of [the] Constitution. I’m surprised more conservatives aren’t speaking out about this issue,” freshman Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) told POLITICO. “American lives were not at risk in Libya at the time, and Libya was not a material threat to the United States or its territory, and it’s difficult.”
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I think Obama did exactly what he should’ve done. All we’re doing is assisting with a real coalition involved. I think by weeks end we will have helped the rebels tremendously. I say keep feed the rebels ammo, intel, and some air support from coalition members and allow the rebels to do the heavy ground fighting for their own country!
In my humble opinion, this puts the nail in the coffin of Obama being an “agent for change.” All he has done with this Libya action is to further typical Washington hypocrisy. We’re supposed to believe that this ‘pre-emptive strike’ was done to prevent the “needless killing of innocent civilians” (straight from Barack’s mouth). If that’s the case, where are the cruise missiles for the people in Sudan that have died by the hundreds of thousands at the hands of the same type of oppressive regimes that our government seems so interested in bringing down? Oh yeah, no ‘strategic value’ in that region, so they’re on their own… So much for change…
Makes you wonder about all the backlash Tavis Smiley got for wanting to hold this president to the same standards as every other president, instead of giving him a automatic pass on ‘face’ value…
Good point! But that’s how we Black folk do…in a wierd, irrational way. For example, we’ll talk about each other-do each other in-lend no support to one another especially when it’s positive but be the first to cast a vote for a candidate just because they’re Black. Besides Cynthia McKinney (former Ga. representative) – and of course, we labeled her “crazy” because she wasn’t down with the same status-quo chickensh*t – I don’t know nare politician that’s done anything for their people without padding their pockets first – in recent times. Hell, politics is irrelevant when it comes to us anyway -it’s yet another place where we waste our money and energy (I hate to say it being that so many of our ancestors died for the right but it is what it is). Politics is a vehicle for the protection of particular economic bases, and if you don’t have an econmic base – that’s viable – then what makes you think that the political game is even interested in you? It’s not. It’ll be a happy day when We finally see this bag of tricks for what it is– as Black folk, I thought we were much smarter than this/that. And we are, we just ain’t showing it. We can always build an economic base but it’s a certain group that won’t allow that to happen. They’d rather wear their smiley-face masks, ride around in their luxury cars and live in their nice homes around the white folk (and well-to-do black folk, too), have their waste-of-time conventions and faux pas foundation fundraisers before they let the “real” Black folk get together with one another and do what it is we need to do. I say off with their f*ckin’ heads!
When is he going to bomb Sarah Palin and put her out of her misery?