The United States last weekend made aerial bombing and sea-based attacks on the North African country of Libya, obviously to weaken troublemaking Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi, who is being internally challenged by Libyan rebels.
But who in the United States officially declared war on Libya? The Constitution says only Congress has the power to declare war. Congress has not declared war on Libya.
President Barack Obama is not even in Washington, but is on a South American tour.
Yet over the weekend, three U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers flew from Missouri to drop a reported 45 2000-pound bombs on Libyan military targets.
Fifteen U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft were joined by French and British aircraft to hit a Libyan infantry unit.
The U.S. Navy launched Tomahawk missiles on Libya from the Mediterranean Sea.
Fortunately, there have been no reported American military casualties. Clearly there have been Libyan casualties of undetermined numbers.
Libya’s despotic ruler Gadhafi is an international troublemaker, and his nation has been involved in terrorism — including terrorism against this country. But who in the United States officially declared war on him or his country? No one. This action is a result of a U.N. “resolution” with which our president went along.
What’s next? How shall the United States be further involved?
There are many elements throughout the world that are hostile to the United States and our interests. But should we attack them militarily without a congressional declaration?
The United States was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress on Dec. 8, 1941. Congress declared war — as the Constitution provides.
There have been varied U.S. military actions throughout American history, some declared as the Constitution of the United States requires, some in immediate response to military attacks upon the United States, and some neither in response to attacks nor with declaration by Congress as the Constitution provides.
It is highly troubling for U.S. military forces to go to war without action in clear accord with the Constitution.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Sunday the United States expects to turn control of the military operation over to a coalition of France, Britain and/or NATO “in a matter of days.”
It cannot be soon enough.
We should abide by our Constitution.
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There is a bigger picture that few want to see, The Shiite rebels of Eastern Libya hate the U.S. and want to kill us. Which Country had the most young men sneak into Iraq for the sole purpose of killing Americans? Libya. From where in Libya did most of these men hail? Eastern Libya. We are fighting a new war in Libya so these terrorist will live to fight us another day. America wants free and fair elections for all these Mid East and North African countries. It really seems stupendous that we will fight these wars for these countries to have the freedom to elect people who hate us.
Is President Obama a neo-conservative?
Intervening and taking sides in the internal strife in Libya is simply not acceptable American behavior.
We don't want to be responsible for the leadership in any other country,just as we don't want outside interference in US affairs. The mistake is now made and we can only hope for a quick exit.
Certainly the US is not going to intervene in the Ivory Coast and hopefully not in Yemen,Syria,or any other of the destabilizing countries that are seeking less authoritarian rule. This multi-country political upheaval,which has been brewing for a long time, may last most of this decade and should be seen as an opportunity to completely overhaul American foreign policy. Mercantilism and gunboat diplomacy will not be successful policies going forward.
The super-power era is coming to a close and the sooner we adapt,the better chance we have of forging new partnerships based common interests.
Even without evidence,I choose to be hopeful.
nuck, "just as we don't want outside interference in US affairs"
Hasn't " Citizens Unitied" opened the door for that?
"the super power era is coming to a close"....well, you liberals openly don't want america to be a super power, but russia and china don't share your view.
how hilarious....blaming citizens united for outside interference in us affairs! you gotta be kidding. obama literally bows to foreign leaders, announces we're no better than any other country, leftist judges want to make rulings based on laws from other countries and a foreigner (soros)pumps tens of millions into the democrat party and you blame citizens united for opening the door to that?
obama made it his mission..at least until nov. 2nd 2010's ass kicking..to make sure t he world knows we're no better than any other country.
some of you libs even believe sharia law should be part of our laws.
our federal government is dominated by liberals...washington d.c . is a liberal pit....the white house, senate and house may changes hands, but our policies become increasingly less american.
"neo-conservative" ......you can throw that term around because it shifts the blame...but obama is simply a hypocrite, a fraud...a politician who does what he thinks he needs to do to be popular.
Get us out of Libya now!!! Get us out of Iraq, Germany, England, Japan, Korea, Italy, Afghanistan, Bahrain, and any other country we have military based in. Stop spending money we don't have. Republicans can now make the same complaints about President Obama as Democrats made about President Bush. Both parties need to catch a clue. Neither is wrong to complain about wars in countries we have no business going into. Afghanistan got what they had coming, despite the delays for the Iraq war, and it is now time to leave.
All politicians are bought and paid for by special interest to whom they owe a debt. It is no longer about liberals vs. conservatives. That argument is endless and it never produces any meaningful change for the vast majority of Americans. I am talking about the working class, both democrats and republicans. The disgruntled masses are being goaded to bicker amongst ourselves and the ones poking the stick are the same ones who own our politicians. I am sure they are quite bemused by our attacks on each other, it sure keeps us from stepping back and taking in the big picture.
the countries backing our invasion of iraq are double what obama has to back this action in libya.
the world/un agreed to the invasion of iraq because it was believed hussein posed a threat on a world wide scale........backed by intelligence.....ghadhafi, other than his attempt to distrupt oil flow ,does not pose a threat outside of his country....he's an aging dictator who needs to be taken out somehow, but there's far less justifcation for attacking libya than there was iraq..
to actually try and slap the label of neo-con on obama is just a lame attempt at blaming con- servatives or republicans for this by saying obama is behaving like them....which is crap...
obama is a disaster.....he went to brazil and support their efforts to drill for oil, but won't less us do it here......he wants them to drill offshore but no us???? but he then he orders military action in libya.....what..he now believes all of sudden that it's important to protect the flow of oil in the middle east? if our missio in libya is humantarian..then we should do the same thing in sudan, somalia or wherever else despots and governments are slaughtering their citizens....
what a disaster of a president....and you libs criticize bush....
obama is not a liberal, he's not a neo-con...he simply doesn't know what he's doing and is a one man wrecking ball domestically and internationaly.....he's making this country look like a mess...
you libs accused bush of going to war unilaterly......which was garbage...he was backed by the un and a large coalition......and now what do you have to say about obama? what hypocracy...
obama has no respect for the constitution..whether is pertains to defending the freedom it's citizens are guaranteed in the constitution or invading a country that poses no threat to the america.
SeaMonkey,
Superpower status requires more than a strong military,it requires a strong economy. Thirty years of accellerating debt accumulation have led to a US that can no longer afford its lifestyle. Whatever we have been in the past is all changing rapidly because our economy is failing. Assessing blame is a fool's game. We are where we are and we will only improve by working together.
The US will have the military that it can afford. Magic money creation only works for a short while and our while is now ending.
Our biggest threats are internal,self made,not the Libyas of this world.
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