Editorial
Constitutional Problems with the Libyan War
Last week the Obama Administration took the United States to war against Libya without bothering to notify Congress, much less obtain a Constitutionally-mandated declaration of war. In the midst of our severe economic downturn, this misadventure has already cost us hundreds of millions of dollars and we can be sure the final price tag will be several times higher.
Why did the US intervene in a civil war in a country that has neither attacked us nor poses a threat? We are told this was another humanitarian intervention, like Clinton's 1999 war against Serbia. But as civilian victims of the US-led coalition bombing continue to add up, it is getting difficult to determine whether the problem we are creating on the ground is worse than the one we were trying to solve.
Though the administration seems to be playing with semantics, calling this a "kinetic military action," let's be clear: this is a US act of war on Libya. Imposing a no-fly zone over the air space of a sovereign nation is an act of war, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates pointed out before the bombing began. That the administration hesitates to call this war, possibly due to the troubling Constitutional implications, does not mean that it is not one. Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution could not be clearer: the power and obligation to declare war resides solely in the US Congress.
There was ample time and opportunity for the administration to consult the UN, NATO and the Arab League before going to war, but not the US Congress.
Aside from the manner in which the administration took us to war, it is also troubling that our government has taken a decisive stand for one side of an internal conflict in another sovereign country. The administration speaks out of both sides of its mouth on this, claiming that the US is not attempting to overthrow the Gaddafi regime while clearly benefitting the rebels and stating that Gaddafi must leave. Does this make any sense? Gaddafi may well be every bit the "bad guy" we are told he is, but who are the rebels we are assisting? Do we have any clue? Will they bring freedom and prosperity to Libya if they are victorious? We might like to hope so, but the fact is, we don't know. Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit, explained in a recent article that there is plausible reason to believe the rebels are current or former Islamist mujahedin, eager to engage in jihad. Indeed, Gaddafi has fought against Libyan Islamists for years and is seen by them as a bitter enemy. Astoundingly, it may well be that we are assisting al Qaeda in this new war!
The costs of this terrible mistake cannot be ignored. Congress has been locked in battles over budget cuts and agonizing over ways to save money. Recent proposed spending cuts have by now been completely wiped out with this new war! Will we be rebuilding Libya ten years from now? Will Congress simply roll over and rubber stamp more emergency spending bills for this new war as they have done in the past? We must end our participation in any attack on Libya immediately and I have signed on to legislation that would do exactly that. Congress must assert its Constitutional authority and rein in an administration clearly out of control.
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Posted by Zenbillionaire on 03/31/11 03:43 AM
Obama must be shaking in his boots. Tune in tomorrow for another exciting chapter of "Barry and Nick Storm Africa!" brought to you by the fun folks at British Petroleum. Put a Terrorist in Your Tank!
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Posted by j on 03/31/11 03:28 AM
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Posted by DRUNK AND DISORDERLY on 03/30/11 10:46 PM
Where is our Supreme Court in all this? Our government is out of Constitutional control IMO and will continue to be into the future. Happily, the future of military intervention is slated to have a natural control called austerity.
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Posted by Bob on 03/30/11 08:57 AM
- Either NATO imperialists win and occupy Libya with an endless Iraqi rerun or
- Welcome Chavez's Venezuela play-book with western oil companies being nationalized
What a mess Zionist banksters and their Washington, London, and Paris puppets put the entire world into? Hitler overextended himself and so these clowns? Did I forget to mention Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, etc.,?
America has the first illegitimate and totally incompetent president, France has a Mossad operative, and both running the West into a ground. Banksters became too arrogant thinking they could run the entire world. WOW. They have learned nothing. Well, the payback day is coming....
Finally, taking into account the Japan catastrophe, Japan will desperately need China to recover.
PS: As for Dr. Paul, please spare our intelligence. Please, no more phony innocence, cheap propaganda, and crocodile tears for our democracy. We all know that the American Congress became a phony show and a diversion.
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Posted by Reader on 03/30/11 06:27 AM
MANY CONGRESSMEN DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO AND SAY WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY TO GET RE-ELECTED.
NOT A GOOD TYPE OF HUMAN BEING BUT HEY, NOBODY'S PERFECT....RIGHT?
Reply from The Daily Bell
Please DON'T SHOUT.
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Posted by Obsvr-1 on 03/29/11 06:05 PM
Reply from The Daily Bell
Ha ha. Bingo. You made the elves laugh. Somewhere a child is born.
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Posted by Timur The Lame on 03/29/11 03:04 PM
I agree with you about the purposeful debasing of the presidency but one must not forget that "cigar Bill' Clinton was handily re-elected while undergoing impeachment proceedings so the mob is complicit in the decline of that institution.
Cheers-
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Posted by Darby Jie on 03/29/11 02:53 PM
"Each Congressman lives under the threat of arbitrary warrantless wiretapping from what we can tell. It likely tempers any dramatic outbursts of freedom initiatives "
Which prompts one to ask, Why are they there at all (i.e.to what purpose)??.
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Posted by Raymond on 03/29/11 02:27 PM
President Obama should (no must) be impeached. It is time for America to stop meddling in the internal affairs of other sovereign nations. It is also time for America to stop ignoring the Constitution. Every U.S. military officer takes an oath to "Uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. All those military officers involved in this illegal action have violated that oath and should (no must) be relieved of duty and expelled from service.
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Posted by Ranger on 03/29/11 01:45 PM
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Posted by Maritzanita on 03/29/11 01:45 PM
Maybe we should start to think outside the box and do things the elite would never expect. Like 20,000 US Citizens peacefully travel to US war zones and start acting as human shields against the attrocities. Maybe Rambo US Military will start to ask questions about killing their own mothers and fathers.
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Posted by Jsmith on 03/29/11 01:06 PM
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Posted by Maritzanita on 03/29/11 12:51 PM
So the elite are demonstrating to us that they can put whomsoever they wish into any position in the presidency, congress and judiciary and we the people can do squat about it. Even to the point that writing to a representative means absolutely nothing.
Even if the police and military mass murdered men, women, children, grandma's and grandpa's at a peaceful tea party rally, in Washington DC televised on prime time TV, the American public is so soft and asleep that they would shrug their shoulders and switch channels to sports.
Reply from The Daily Bell
Each Congressman lives under the threat of arbitrary warrantless wiretapping from what we can tell. It likely tempers any dramatic outbursts of freedom initiatives ...
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Posted by Maritzanita on 03/29/11 12:50 PM
First step was to demean the presidency via Bill Clinton's extracurricular activities I would suspect these kinds of things have been going on behind closed doors with many presidents. The elite chose to out Clinton for ulterior motives. To make the president embarrassed etc. and a laughing stock in the eyes of the people, not to mention a huge distraction from attention to whitewater and other investigations.
GW Bush was then seen to steal the presidency with all the vote recounts in Florida, thus further diminishing the presidency. And now we have been presented with a president that purposely reads everything from a teleprompter to give the obvious impression that he has no original thought or understanding of what he is doing. Add to this his secrecy about showing his birth certificate and college applications and records. That he is a secret muslim and not born in USA.
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Posted by Jdb on 03/29/11 10:43 AM
Right on...If it walks like a duck...
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Posted by Dan on 03/29/11 09:29 AM
"Astoundingly, it may well be that we are assisting al Qaeda in this new war!"
We must be running out of armed enemies.
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Posted by David Welsh on 03/29/11 08:35 AM
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Posted by Kenn on 03/29/11 07:18 AM
Yea,,,, Ron. That's why they included 'impeachment'
How about a little less talkin and a little more walkin...
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Posted by Curios on 03/29/11 06:54 AM
Good Question! These days, I find myself dozing of instantly whenever a politician speaks his mind. (Nothing personal to Ron Paul.) What is amazing about this situation is the callous speed of betrayal, the speedy call to arms, and BOMBS AWAY!! It's in the history books to make posterity wince...
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Posted by V. Heddins on 03/29/11 05:47 AM
Lighten up on my home boy ! ! !
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