Libya

House Defeats Effort To Yank Funds For Libya War And To Authorize the Mission

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 2:31PM

In a confused message to President Obama, the House on Friday voted down both a bill to defund U.S. involvement in the Libya mission and a measure that would have granted the mission Congressional approval for one year.

All week, support had been building in the House for repudiating Obama's handling of the war with most concerns focused on his failure to consult Congress and gain its approval before authorizing airstrikes. But that movement fell short of sending the harshest rebuke at Congress' disposal -- cutting off funds -- although members registered their disapproval of the war and Obama's handling of it by failing to give it the Congressional seal of approval.

The final vote on the defunding bill was 180 in favor and 238 opposed. In the first vote, the House overwhelmingly voted down a bill that would have authorized U.S. military action in Libya for one year, 295 to 123.

The Senate has no plans to cut off funding, so the vote was largely symbolic, but it still constitutes a small victory for the President and his intervention in Libya and a sign of his support among the Democratic caucus amid a divisive debate about his decision to launch airstrikes in Libya without Congressional approval.

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Libya

House Votes Against Authorizing Obama's Libya War

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 11:53AM

The House has overwhelmingly voted down a bill that would have authorized U.S. military action in Libya after months of bipartisan outrage over President Obama's decision to launch military strikes in the North African country without the approval of Congress.

The vote, 295 to 123, did not break along traditional party lines. A majority of Republicans concerned about budget constraints and more generally diametrically opposed to Obama's agenda voted against the measure banding together with anti-war Democrats. Just eight Republicans voted for authorizing the Libya oepration: Reps. Charlie Dent (PA), David Dreier (CA), Steve King (IA), Peter King (NY), Thaddeus McCotter (MI), David Rivera (FL) and Mike Rogers (MI).

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Libya

What To Expect Today On House Votes On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 10:55AM

The House is set to vote today on a bill that would severely limit funding for U.S. military action in Libya, what would amount to a bipartisan rebuke of a sitting president's decision to authorize military strikes in the North African country without the approval of Congress. Votes are expected anytime from noon to late afternoon.

Republican leaders, who control the House floor, are allowing two key votes on the Libya today. The defunding measure is being offered by Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL) and would cut off funds for airstrikes or any other combat but would allow the U.S. to serve in a supporting role to the now-NATO-led operation, which would include air refueling, intelligence and search-and-rescue operations.

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'Obama's Wars'

Boehner Readies Stronger Bill Rebuking Obama On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 23, 2011, 6:30AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and President Barack Obama (D)

House Republicans leaders have decided to shift gears and hold a vote as early as Friday on a bill to defund U.S. military action in Libya, GOP sources said.

Earlier this week, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) had planned a two-pronged approach, addressing the deep divisions in his party on the Libya issue. One bill, which mirrored a measure Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) offered in the Senate, would authorize the limited use of force in Libya, while another would prevent any more U.S. action in the North African country.

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Afghanistan

Obama Announces Plans To Send 10,000 troops Home By Dec. 31

Susan Crabtree | June 22, 2011, 8:19PM

President Obama announced plans to send home 10,000 troops from Afghanistan and another 23,000 by end the September 2012 in a primetime TV and radio address Wednesday night.

In the 10-minute speech, Obama said he was fulfilling a promise he made at a speech at West Point in 2009 when he ordered a surge of 30,000 troops -- that the troops would begin coming home starting in July 2011.

"Tonight, I can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment," he said.

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Afghanistan

Obama's Afghan Plan With Will Be Major 2012 Foreign Policy Test

Susan Crabtree | June 22, 2011, 5:45AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama is facing one of the most difficult political challenges of his two and a half years in office in making the case to a skeptical American public and an impatient Congress that the longest war in U.S. history is still worth fighting and funding while he incrementally withdraws troops.

Obama is scheduled to outline his plans for a Afghanistan troop drawdown in a primetime address on Wednesday. The following day he will travel to Fort Drum in upstate New York to begin selling the proposal to the American people, the same day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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Afghanistan

Panetta Sidesteps Barrage Of Questions On Afghan Drawdown

Susan Crabtree | June 9, 2011, 12:06PM

Leon Panetta, tapped by President Obama to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, attempted to dodge the most critical question facing the military and the administration right now during his nomination hearing Thursday.

Panetta faced a barrage of questions about the upcoming drawdown of troops in Afghanistan after signaling that he backed the President's call for a "significant" reduction of U.S. troops beginning in July.

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'Obama's Wars'

As Obama Mulls Afghan Drawdown, War Weariness Grows On Capitol Hill

Susan Crabtree | June 8, 2011, 3:44PM

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)

With President Obama's July deadline for withdrawing some troops in Afghanistan just weeks away, the future of the U.S. commitment to the nearly 10-year war has been a hot topic on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in recent weeks.

Concern over the nation's budget woes have taken center stage in Washington, and with few tangible signs of progress in Afghanistan, members of Congress are increasingly expressing deep skepticism about maintaining U.S. nation-building efforts there.

The most notable aspect of Wednesday's Senate Foreign Relations hearing on the nomination of Ryan Crocker to be ambassador to Afghanistan, was the absence of voices supporting an ongoing robust U.S. presence there.

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