prospect of impeachment ?????? Really ?
- Thread starter NOVA
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The War Powers Act states that the "President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and after every such introduction shall consult regularly with the Congress until United States Armed Forces are no longer engaged in hostilities or have been removed from such situations."
So you are stating for fact that he did not "consult with congress"?
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"There is bipartisan grumbling on Capitol Hill that President Obama, despite his denunciations of his predecessor for failing to further consult with Congress over invading Iraq, told lawmakers about his Libya attack plans rather than seeking approval or advice in advance.
While most Republicans say they would have given authority for the air strikes undertaken so far, there is growing concern on the right that the military, already obligated to fighting two wars, will be further stretched if the situation in Libya devolves. House Speaker John Boehner says he wants to know exactly what the mission is before the mission changes again.
There is deepening anxiety among Democrats though. While liberals generally appreciate the efforts to obtain U.N. blessing for the operation, there is unhappiness that Obama did less to consult with Congress about his Libyan attack than President George W. Bush did in advance of his invasion of Iraq.
Bush obtained authorization for the use of force from Congress long before the war and even before he went in search of international approval. The complaint in Congress was actually that Bush had sought approval too far in advance and that the situation had changed before the invasion (today marks the eight-year anniversary of the first major land battle of the invasion, the Battle of Nasiriyah). Later they would claim that they had been misled into supporting the war (Sen. John Kerry) or that they had assumed that Bush would not make use of the authority they had granted (then-Sen. Hillary Clinton).
Obama, meanwhile, offered only a perfunctory conference call for Congressional leaders after committing U.S. forces to a coalition strike."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/21/doubts-mount-libya-war/
Whether it is true or not I do not know-but Obama claims he did consult with congress- If he is telling the truth then it would appear that his actions with the NFZ are not illegal.
In a three-minute statement to the media on Saturday after the first cruise missiles were launched, Mr. Obama six times noted international support for the use of force, saying the attack on Libya was an "international effort" and that the U.S. was acting with a "broad coalition" that included European and Arab partners. Mr. Obama and his aides also said he and top advisers had consulted with bipartisan leaders in Congress.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704021504576211311438332144.html
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Does "Obama and his aides" claiming to have "consulted with bipartisan leaders" satisfy the requirements of the War Powers Act?
Translation....Bravo pwned me again as usual and I can't refute a single word of his posts.
Thanks for playing Onceler...it was short, but sweet. I can tell we're gonna be great friends real soon....
If you are asking did Obama act in accordance to the "letter of law", and he is to believed about his consulting with members of congress, then it would appear so- as for his applying the "spirit" of the law by making it a more public and transparent consultation-then it would be no.
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The War Powers Act exists to prevent a president from doing exactly what Barack Obama just did.
TELLING Congress what you're planing to do isn't consulting with Congress...and certainly not the same as getting their approval....
but its all irrelevant anyway....the double standards used in Washington are what they are and Obama can just about do anything he wants....there is no oversight.
You're kidding ?.....what a copout....
You've reconsidered what posters are saying a see we are right, as usual....
...and you were wrong.How does the WPA prevent Obama from taking the action he did?
Look, I am no Obama fan- But I have not had ANYONE explain how Obama has broken the law if indeed he is to be believed that he "consulted" members of congress? I read the WPA and it does not require a "public hearing" just a consultation. That seems very broad by definition. That is why I suggested that even if he has not broken the letter of the law he has seemingly broken the spirit of it.
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"Acting alone while congress was away on recess, solely at the command of the United Nations and without constitutional authority, Barack Obama dropped over $70 million worth of Tomahawk missiles on the sovereign nation of Libya in a dictatorial maneuver to force regime change of a foreign land.
"The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and after every such introduction shall consult regularly with the Congress until United States Armed Forces are no longer engaged in hostilities or have been removed from such situations."
A conference call with a few congresspeople does not constitute consulting with Congress.
"1) Congress did not declare war.
2) Congress was not consulted and did not give specific statutory authorization.
3) The US was not attacked in any way by Libya which presented no threat to the US or US assets."
http://wellregulatedamericanmilitias.com/profiles/blogs/the-war-powers-act-of-1973-has
You're kidding ?.....what a copout....
You've reconsidered what posters are saying a see we are right, as usual....
Uh, no bravs. I was being sarcastic. I argued with Yurt's premise that they're the same situation for about 3 days, so I was making fun of him.
Sorry about that; you're a little slow on the uptake, though, as you were chiming in on those threads, as well. Under no circumstances whatsoever do I think Iraq & Libya are "identical," or even similar in any way....
And again how do you legally determine what the unfortuate, but actual wording of the WPA is? "Consulting Congress" means what? You have proof that consulting was done? You infer it was by phone, so you must have proof that in the very least consulting was done...right? I am not saying I like it-just that using the term "illegal" does not technically apply. Certainly the idea of a NFZ has been out there for the past 10 days or longer. Certainly we can agree that the president must have consulted with some members of congress. What we so far do not have agreement on is whether or not he acted legally- I am still open to being persuaded that he in fact did act illegally, but you have not provided such persuasion.
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SEC. 3. The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and after every such introduction shall consult regularly with the Congress until United States Armed Forces are no longer engaged in hostilities or have been removed from such situations.
Did he "consult" prior to committing the US military?
Did he seek and obtain the approval of Congress?
There you go again! We have both agreed that he did "consult congress" just not in a fashion we like-and the WPA does not require he get approval unless he plans on having the NFZ for longer then 60 days.
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Did his alleged "consultation" take place before he committed US assets?
BTW, launching cruise missiles and bombing are not NFZs.
I do not know if it did ...do you? Obama, insinuated in his claim to have consulted congress, that implies that he had.
As to launching missiles- I believe that again he has a broad discretion of action based on the intended protection of civilians-i.e. Ghadafi's weapon strongholds. However if you have sourced information that this is not true please post it.
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Read the news much?
"President Obama's approval of an intervention in Libya has also skipped the Congress.
Was this necessary? Of course not. Obama could have consulted Congress; indeed, if the issue was pressing, he could have asked that the House and Senate be called into session over the weekend. Had the president gone to the Congress, it is doubtful that he would have met with opposition."
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/21/134730963/the-nation-in-libya-us-forgot-about-congress