Friday, June 24, 2011

House condemns military action in Libya on the anniversary of Congress' repeal of Vietnam resolution

Today marks the 41st anniversary of the repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which ended the unchecked war powers granted by Congress to the Executive Branch with regard to the handling of the conflicts in Asia.  In fact, after the Korean War and Vietnam War were waged without a declaration of war, Congress passed the War Powers Act which was vetoed by Nixon and then overridden by Congress.  The War Powers Act declared that the President must notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to any military action and forbids the military from remaining in a conflict zone past 90 days without authorization from Congress or a declaration of war. 

Today, 41 years after the repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Congress voted against a measure that would have given Barack Obama the authority to continue the U.S. military operation in Libya.  The bill was defeated 295-123 with 70 Democrats joining the House Republicans in rejecting the plea from the White House.  However, the House did not vote to cut off funding for the action.  In reviewing statements from tea party supported candidates like Allen West, Michelle Bachmann, Paul Ryan and Ron Paul, it appears that the resolution to defund failed because it did not go far enough.  Here is a list of those who voted against the resolution.  The video below shows Ron Paul's reason for opposing the defund resolution:

As was mentioned above, the lack of support for the President, especially with regard to his actions in Libya is bi-partisan.  In a shocking video, New York Democrat Representative Jerrold Nadler gives an impassioned speech calling on Congress to stand up and reclaim the powers delegated to them by our Constitution and to keep America from becoming an empire as opposed to a Republic.

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