Barack Obama

Obama: 'Fuss' Over Libya Is Pure Politics

Susan Crabtree | June 29, 2011, 11:18AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama is standing behind his decision to authorize military action in Libya, dismissing months of furor over his failure to win Congressional approval before launching strikes as pure politics.

"...A lot of this fuss is politics, and if you look substantively at what we've done, we've done exactly what we'd said we'd do under a NATO mandate," Obama said at a press conference in the East Room of the White House Wednesday morning.

"But do I think our actions in any way violate the war powers resolution? The answer is no," he said. "We have engaged in a limited operation to help a lot of people against one of the worst tyrants in the world...and we should be sending out a unified message to this guy that he should step down."

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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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'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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Libya

McCain: Tying Obama's Hands On Libya Will Come Back To Haunt GOP

Susan Crabtree | June 21, 2011, 12:17PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) pleaded with GOP colleagues Tuesday not to tie President Obama's hands when it comes to U.S. military action in Libya, reminding them it could come back to haunt future Republican presidents.

"We are all entitled to our opinions about Libya policy, but here are the facts: [Libyan leader Muammar] Qaddafi is going to fall. It is just a matter of time. So I would ask my colleagues: Is this the time for Congress to turn against this policy?" he said in a lengthy statement on the Senate floor. "Is this the time to ride to the rescue of a failing tyrant when the writing is on the wall that he will collapse?"

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Libya

Obama and Boehner Trade Accusations On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 16, 2011, 3:44PM

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

President Obama and Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) are calling in the heavy artillery in their own war of words over Libya and whether the White House has the power to thumb its nose at Constitutional requirements that Congress approve the use of military force.

At a briefing with reporters Thursday, White House spokesman Jay Carney read a statement from Boehner from 1999 in which he questioned the Constitutional issues surrounding the War Powers Act. That law prohibits the President from committing the military to actions for more than 60 days, plus a 30-day extension, without congressional approval. The U.S. involvement in the Libyan conflict has lasted for nearly three months.

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Libya

Boehner Offers Own Libya Resolution To Head Off Kucinich's Anti-War Bill

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 9:12AM

Seeking to head off a growing revolt in the GOP against America's involvement in Libya, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is offering a resolution demanding the White House not deploy ground troops in the country.

The resolution states that President Obama "has failed to provide Congress with a compelling rationale based upon United States national security interests for current United States military activities regarding Libya" and requests detailed information from the White House on the mission.The legislation is intended to head off more aggressively worded resolutions by lawmakers like Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), which demand a withdrawal of US forces.

Kucinich's resolution was scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, but House leaders pulled it at the last second when they became concerned it had enough Republican votes to pass. Boehner told reporters on Thursday that rank and file Republicans were concerned not only with the Libya conflict, but Afghanistan and Iraq as well.

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Dennis Kucinich

Speaker Boehner Concedes GOP Is Conflicted On Libya After Abruptly Pulling Anti-War Resolution

Benjy Sarlin | June 2, 2011, 11:46AM

House Republicans will huddle on Thursday to discuss their members' position on Libya a day after unexpectedly withdrawing a resolution disapproving of the conflict. Speaker John Boehner conceded to reporters that many House Republicans are concerned by the military operation and called on President Obama to "step up" his explanations for the conflict.

On Wednesday schedulers abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution calling on the US to withdraw all forces from the conflict. The measure's sponsor, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), told reporters he believed House leaders pulled the legislation after realizing it might succeed with Republican backing.

"They changed their mind," he said after it was withdrawn on Wednesday. "They felt, well, it's going to pass."

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War Powers Act

Angry Lawmakers Grill Gates On Libya And War Powers Act

Susan Crabtree | March 31, 2011, 1:52PM

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, got a browbeating from Congress today over the White House's decision to ignore Congress and forge ahead with air strikes aimed at ousting Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi and supporting rebel forces.

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Gates defended the administration's decision to intervene and retooled earlier comments that the U.S. didn't have a vital interest in the North African country after a rash of criticism.

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Hillary Clinton

Clinton To Congress: Obama Would Ignore Your War Resolutions

Susan Crabtree | March 30, 2011, 4:44PM

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Update: Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who asked Clinton about the War Powers Act during a classified briefing, said Clinton and the administration are sidestepping the measure's provisions giving Congress the ability to put a 60-day time limit on any military action.

"They are not committed to following the important part of the War Powers Act," he told TPM in a phone interview. "She said they are certainly willing to send reports [to us] and if they issue a press release, they'll send that to us too."

The White House would forge ahead with military action in Libya even if Congress passed a resolution constraining the mission, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a classified briefing to House members Wednesday afternoon.

Clinton was responding to a question from Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) about the administration's response to any effort by Congress to exercise its war powers, according to a senior Republican lawmaker who attended the briefing.

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Libya

Senate Dems to Delay War Powers Resolutions Until After Briefing

Susan Crabtree | March 29, 2011, 5:41PM

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has asked his caucus to postpone any Libya resolutions until after they receive a classified briefing Tuesday evening.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to brief senators Wednesday night. Afterward, Reid said, all bets are off and Democrats can offer any type of War Powers Resolution they want.

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