...and her institutions, and her international standing....
Congress is rightfully atwitter over Obamas' refusal to consult them before making war on Libya. George W. Bush, remember, got Congressional approval prior to every major military move (Change!). So here comes the president’s national security adviser, Tom Donilon, who responded to congressional frustration with this gem:
“First of all, consultation with Congress is important, as I said. Secondly, the administration welcomes the support of Congress in whatever form that they want to express that support.
"Welcomes the support"? And what happens if Congress does not want to support this military adventure? Will Obama close his eyes and ears and pretend he is some type of all-empowered leader with a "King's Army" at the ready, like China's Hu (whose job he's publicly lusted after), or perhaps even - dare I say - a Muammar Qaddafi? Will he shriek "off with their heads!" should Congress choose not to fund this particular war? More importantly, is Obama in touch with reality in any way whatsoever?
Over at Contentions, Peter Wehner makes the following observation:
It’s also worth noting, isn’t it, that Obama sought the approval of the “international community” before he sought the approval of the United States Congress....
One possible explanation for this is that Obama seeks the approval of and has a higher regard for the opinion of the “international community,” consisting of countless despotic states, than he does America’s elected representatives. Which would be quite a mindset for an American president to possess.
Really - is there any question on that?
Obama declares war, refuses to pay even the mildest lip-service to the Constitution he swore to uphold, and then takes his family off to dance the samba and play soccer in Brazil. Meanwhile, young men risk their lives in a war in which no one, including the president, has explained exactly why we are fighting, or for whose benefit, or how it's going to end.
But don't bother the president with that stuff, unless you come to praise him....after all, he's got a Nobel Peace Prize (for the moment) and the backing of the United Nations (insert awed gasp here), and all we have is...our pathetic constitution, and the remnants of a Republic...
For the moment.
2 comments:
Those of you who want Congress to declare war; you shouldn't be asking yourselves whether the president's authority should be circumscribed by Congress' power to declare war... The question you should be asking yourselves is whether you want the president to have a free hand to commit troops and make us responsible for Libya for generations to come--by Congress declaring war. Congress voting to give the president a ton of more power? Doesn't circumscribe the power of the president.
Declaring war is hard work, and makes the decision to bomb people a lot harder; Congress is probably glad their predecessors abrogated the power a long time ago.
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