President's Libya Speech Does Little to Allay Concerns in Congress

The key concern remains the lack of Congressional involvement and oversight. The War Powers Act of 1973, created after the Vietnam War to ensure legislative checks and balances before and during wartime situations, limits the president's ability to commit armed forces to conditions that are not met in this case.

If the U.S. wants to lead and inspire the world in setting the standard for good governance, getting this executive-legislative relationship right is critical.

We must also be consistent with our involvement in the Middle East and North Africa, in light of similarly violent government crackdowns throughout the region, so that we do not send the message that America does not value equally the human rights and freedoms of people in different countries.

Finally, we must commit to never again prop up autocrats like Gaddafi.

This region, which is rife with undemocratic rulers supported in the past by the US government, will expect all spectrum of democratic support going forward, to prevent situations like Libya from ever happening again.

Rep Mike Honda is the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus's Peace and Security Taskforce. Follow Rep Honda on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Comments

[hrpmap]

02:18 PM on 03/29/2011

My concern is that very little is comming out of congress on the issue of a president committing the US military to an action that is without there knowledge or aproval before hand. Only a few are speaking up, so what is wrong with this picture? Why isn't there an uproar throughout congress on being left out of the equation of Americans firing misslies dropping bombs, doing all the things one does in war, but calling it everything but war. 

[JimR]

03:26 PM on 03/29/2011

Without their knowledge? That's not what Obama said:

"And so nine days ago, after consulting the bipartisan leadership of Congress, I authorized military action to stop the killing and enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973."

[j0em0mma]

02:02 PM on 03/29/2011

The UN Mandate on Libya and our ratification of the UN treaty at its inception provide the statutory authority for the Executive to wage war for 90 days without seeking congressional approval.

I'm sorry, but doesn't it seem ridiculous to condemn 700,000+ people in Benghazi to a legislative process so broken we can barely pass a Republican Health Care plan with a vast Democratic Majority? I would prefer a few ruffled feathers in Congress than the responsibility of standing idly by watching a massacre.