Obama follows in Bush's footsteps on War Powers By Michael V. Hayden, Special to CNN June 24, 2011 10:58 a.m. EDT
Editor's note: Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who was appointed by President George W. Bush as CIA director in 2006 and served until February 2009, is a principal with the Chertoff Group, a security consulting firm, and a distinguished visiting professor at George Mason University. He formerly was director of the National Security Agency and held senior staff positions at the Pentagon.
(CNN) -- Although it was slow in building, there is now a serious constitutional and political "game on" in Washington. It all revolves around the meaning of hostilities as envisioned by the War Powers Resolution of 1973. The Obama administration has reasoned itself into a position where it hardly consulted with Congress before committing U.S. forces to Libya and now believes that congressional approval for continued operations is not required under the War Powers statute. The administration's conduct before the action disappointed many in Congress since much of the White House's justification for taking action rests on the consensus of several deliberative bodies: the United Nations, NATO, the African Union and the Arab League. From a congressional point of view, it appears that the need to consult stops at the water's edge -- coming this way! The administration's conduct also surprised me, not because I doubt that the president has such authority, but because this president, as a candidate, said that he didn't. In a campaign marked by stinging criticism of President George W. Bush's alleged executive excess, candidate Obama wrote: "The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." The exercise of executive authority obviously (and, in my view, fortunately) looks different from the Oval Office than it does from a hotel room on the campaign trail...................>>>>................>>>.................http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/24/hayden.obama.libya/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Obama follows in Bush's footsteps on War Powers By Michael V. Hayden, Special to CNN June 24, 2011 10:58 a.m. EDT
This general obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. Obama is the nobel peace prize winner. He would do nothing like mirror George Worst Bush's foreign policies. Hayden must not have listened to Obama's Hope and Change rhetoric on the campaign trail. Libya is a necessary "kinetic military operation" NOT a war, and certainly not considered American "hostilities". Un-maned drones dropping bombs on an unknown faction in a foreign civil war isn't hostile. Only "boots on the ground" are considered hostile, not "bombs from the sky".
Obama made it crystal clear when he wrote:
Quoted Text
Obama wrote: "The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."
Apparently Libya was planning an imminent attack against the United States compelling our Commander and Chief to authorize a 100+ day bombing campaign a the direction of NATO generals.
By Dave Majumdar - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Jun 30, 2011 12:33:04 EDT
Air Force and Navy aircraft are still flying hundreds of strike missions over Libya despite the Obama administration’s claim that American forces are playing only a limited support role in the NATO operation.
An Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday that since NATO’s Operation Unified Protector (OUP) took over from the American-led Operation Odyssey Dawn on March 31, the U.S. military has flown hundreds of strike sorties. Previously, Washington had claimed that it was mostly providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and tanker support to NATO forces operating over Libya.
“U.S. aircraft continue to fly support [ISR and refueling] missions, as well as strike sorties under NATO tasking,” AFRICOM spokeswoman Nicole Dalrymple said in an emailed statement. “As of today, and since 31 March, the U.S. has flown a total of 3,475 sorties in support of OUP. Of those, 801 were strike sorties, 132 of which actually dropped ordnance.”
A White House report on Libya sent to Congress on June 15 says that “American strikes are limited to the suppression of enemy air defense and occasional strikes by unmanned Predator UAVs against a specific set of targets.” The report also says the U.S. provides an “alert strike package.”
Dalrymple named the Air Force’s F-16CJ and Navy’s EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft as the primary platforms that have been suppressing enemy air defenses.
However, those F-16s are not solely drawn from units based in Spangdahlem, Germany, or Aviano, Italy. The service has reportedly deployed U.S.-based units to Europe to conduct these operations.
-Me speaking as Box- You can't trust the propaganda coming from the right wing extremists at the airforce times. Obama says this is a nato operation and we are just in a supporting role. Who is this right wing extremist Nicole Dalrymple? She is obviously a co-conspirator with Karl Rove.
Where's my drugs? Anyone seen my bottle of drugs???
phhhhhhhht (f@rt) Damn... gotta be some drugs around here somewhere!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Box. Where is the bar graph or pie chart to really drive the point home.
Sorry... I forgot to include the chart. See Below:
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Political cartoons and graphs are much easier than thinking, isn't it? What's the next tool for internet debate, Garanimals?
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Well Obama is lying again, it seems as if over 10,000 troops will remain in Iraq well after 2012 so says some reports. If you want our troops out faster Obama has to be voted out and replaced with someone like Paul who will pull them out right when he gets in.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Ah yes Box just ignore the constant lies from Obama, wasn't it you who kept telling everyone that Obama was going to have all of our troops out by the end of the year. Now that we know that is not the case what excuse will you make up now for this failure of a president, let me guess its Bushes fault we can't leave
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
Good thing Obama got all the troops home as soon as he got into office, just like he promised. That way, we don't need to read things like the top story today on YNN.
Former Guilderland H.S. student killed serving in Afghanistan By: Matt Hunter
Friends and family are mourning the loss of 21-year-old Rafael Nieves Jr., a former Guilderland High School student killed in Afghanistan on Sunday. Our Matt Hunter reports.
GUILDERLAND, N.Y. -- Army Infantryman Rafael Nieves, Jr., 21, left for his first tour of duty in Afghanistan in November. He was set to make his first trip home to Guilderland in two weeks, before tragedy struck Sunday morning.
"Normally I hear about other people's kids, it never hit home before, this time it actually hit home," said Willie Dobbs, a family friend.
According to Nieves', father Rafael Sr., the young soldier was manning the top of a tank when he was shot in the chest. The elder Nieves received the heartbreaking call at 11:30 Sunday morning and by early evening, was still too emotional to talk about his son's death.
"Real hard, real hard, he's taking it really hard," said Edgar Marcano, a close friend of Nieves.
"He's very proud of him because he saw the turnaround it made in him,” Dobbs said. “He did a total 360, so he's definitely proud of him."
Seven years ago at the age of 14, Nieves Jr. moved to Guilderland to live with his father, after spending the early part of his life with his mother in New Jersey.
A former student at Guilderland High School, he married his wife Sarah two and a half years ago and leaves behind two young children.
"He's got a young daughter, it's hard on everybody,” Dobbs said. “Like I said, his father is proud of him, but he lost a son so he's taking it hard."
Family-friends call Nieves a nice kid with a big smile who turned his life around after a rough adolescence.
Funeral arrangements have not been set, but Nieves Sr. says services will be held in Jersey City, N.J. It figures to be a heart wrenching day, that came much too soon.
"He's going to be missed, he only had like two weeks left and I wish he would have made it home, he's going to be missed and loved," Marcano said.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
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