The NATO campaign in Libya to help rebels oust dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s murderous regime hardly needs more justification than was evident when the Arab Spring blossomed. The United States’ vital support has kept Gadhafi from slaughtering thousands of rebels and civilians, and it continues to be justifiable for that and other reasons. Yet because it directly involves the United States in continuing hostile military actions, it clearly falls under the 1973 War Powers Act.
Under that act, the president is required to seek congressional approval to continue the intervention within 60 to 90 days of onset of hostilities. President Obama should not try to skirt that responsibility.
Given the circumstances, Obama can hardly claim the military campaign is not an act of war. The United States may have no boots on the ground yet, but there’s plenty of evidence of deadly engagements by U.S. forces against Libya’s regime.
From the beginning, the U.S. military has engaged in bombing of strategic targets – and not just Libya’s air defense systems. It has rained hundreds of cruise missiles on military installations. It’s also helping refuel NATO planes from France, England and elsewhere, and it is still sending remotely controlled drone aircraft to strike targets.
Yet Obama responded to a recent effort in the U.S. Senate – led by Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Sen. Jim Webb, a Virginia Democrat – to invoke the War Powers Act by pretending that U.S. activities in Libya do not rise to the level of “hostilities” that require compliance with the Act.