Thursday, June 16, 2011

Still No Media Outrage About Obama's Incursion in Libya

It’s time for another edition of “What if George Bush did what Barack Obama is doing now?”

I know the liberal main stream media was in the tank for Obama’s election in 2008, and it appears that they are gearing up to do everything they can do to see that he is re-elected in 2012.  However, even the most ardent Obama supporter should be at least a little upset about his continuing military operation against Libya without any congressional support.

There is now a bi-partisan group in Congress suing the President over his commitment of the United States military to action in Libya without their support, and their action is getting some coverage to some extent. One of the problems is that nobody really knows what Obama is doing.  Is this a war?  Is it a police action?  Is it just a limited military excursion as White House Press Secretary Jay Carney once described it?  Who know?  It would be nice if Obama followed the Constitution he swore to defend and actually explain to Congress what he is doing in Libya and get their support for his action.

The War Powers Act, passed by Congress in 1973, requires the President to gain congressional approval within 60 days of commencing any military action.  Just to refresh your memory, the military action in Libya with U.S. Troops participating, began March 18.  We are well past the 60-day limit.  A President can get an extra 30-day extension, but only if the President can prove to Congress in writing that military action is crucial to the safety of the United States.  Well….I haven’t seen any Libyan jets flying over Phoenix.  Has anyone seen Libyan jets flying over any other part of the country?

I understand why the main stream media is downplaying Obama’s end run around the Constitution, but where are those anti-war activists like Cindy Sheehan?  When her son was killed during the Iraq War, Sheehan went on a national crusade to discredit then President George W. Bush for staging what she claimed was an illegal war.  Sheehan would often camp outside Bush’s home in Texas or demonstrate in front of the White House.

Where are you, Cindy?  Why aren’t you and the women at Code Pink holding demonstrations against Obama’s clearly illegal military action in Libya?  You know where the White House is.  I can also tell you that Obama’s Chicago home is in the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood, near the University of Chicago, just off South Lake Shore Drive.  You can’t miss it.  There is a big police presence in front of his home.

As I have said in previous posts, Presidents of both parties have ignored the Constitution since World War II when deciding to send our military into action.  Despite that, the Supreme Court has done nothing to stop this abuse of executive power.  Why do we have a Constitution if nobody is going to honor it?

I do have one proposal for a new national military policy that I believe would get overwhelming public support.  Do not commit our troops to any action without a Constitutional declaration of war from Congress.  Once you have the full faith and support of the American Congress, do not saddle our military with rules of engagement that would appease The New York Times editorial board.  I think the American public would go for that.

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