<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>Date: Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 4:20 PM<br><br><br><div style="word-wrap:break-word"><br><div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:14px">
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</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><img width="168" height="59" alt="For Immediate Release: April 1, 2011" src="cid:image006.png@01CBF090.D2763470"></td></tr></tbody></table></span><img width="150" height="57" align="right" hspace="12" alt="Contact: Gary Howard 202-224-4343" src="cid:image008.png@01CBF090.D2763470"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif"></span></div>
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<br clear="ALL"><div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:32pt;font-family:Georgia, serif">Sens. Paul, Lee Issue Dear Colleague to Senate Leadership</span></div>
<div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:20pt;font-family:Georgia, serif">Letter requests vote on Sen. Paul’s sense of the Senate</span></i></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:22px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:24px;font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif">WASHINGTON, D.C.</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:24px;font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif"><span> </span>– Today, Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) issued a Dear Colleague letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). The letter requests the Senate take up the pending business of Sen. Paul’s sense of the Senate, which quotes Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in 2007, saying<span> </span><span style="color:black">“The President does not have the power to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve an actual or imminent threat to the nation.” Sens. Paul and Lee also outline their intention to object to further votes on S. 493 amendments until the motion on presidential war authority is scheduled for a vote.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:22px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:24px;font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif">“Establishing whether the President has the constitutional power to attack another country without congressional authority is the most important issue we can discuss given the President’s recent actions,” Sen. Paul said. “I implore our Senate leadership to make this a priority before we continue work on other matters in the chamber.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:22px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:24px;font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif">“The President has failed to receive congressional authorization before committing troops to a conflict that does not imminently threaten the national security interests of the United States,” Sen. Lee said. “With our men and women in harm's way, there is no more important matter on which to focus the Senate's time. We should begin debate immediately."</span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:24px;font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif">Below is the text of the letter, signed by Sens. Paul and Lee, and delivered to the Democrat and Republican Leaders’ offices this afternoon.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">April 1, 2011</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif">
<span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">Dear Leader Reid and Leader McConnell:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif">
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<span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">As you know, Senator Paul recently made a motion to have the Senate vote on the following sense of the Senate:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif">
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<span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">“The President does not have the power to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">The motion Senator Paul made has the vote as the pending business in the Senate, ready for a vote at any time.</span><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:rgb(31, 73, 125)"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">He did not ask for extended debate, and his motion would take up a maximum of 30 minutes of the Senate’s time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">Though brief, it would be an important 30 minutes for the Senate. It will be the only 30 minutes spent on discussing and voting on whether or not the President has the power under the Constitution to attack another country without congressional authorization.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">We believe the answer is that he does not.</span><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:rgb(31, 73, 125)"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">We also believe Congress has an obligation to stand up and declare whether or not we intend to hold the President to his constitutional oath.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">While we realize there are other matters the Senate had planned to work on, it is our belief that there is very little we are doing that rises to the level of a constitutional question regarding war. Voting for whether or not to send our sons and daughters to war is the most important and most difficult decision we should ever make as a nation and as senators. We do not take this responsibility lightly, and we believe the Senate is abdicating its responsibility at this very moment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">The bombing and military action against the Libyan government will be two weeks old by the time we return to session next week. That means congressional debate on this war is two weeks overdue.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:17px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">We feel strongly enough about this matter that we are writing to inform you of our intentions. The Senate has already agreed to move a bill on Tuesday morning.</span><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:rgb(31, 73, 125)"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family:'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;color:black">In order to ensure our rights are protected, we will serve notice now that upon completion of H.R. 4, we will object to further votes on amendments to S. 493 until such time as the motion on presidential war authority is scheduled for a vote. We are happy to work with the leaders of both parties on the timing of the vote for next week, and would be happy to allow other business to proceed as soon as an agreement is reached.</span></p>
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<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Robert Naiman<br>Policy Director<br>Just Foreign Policy<br><a href="http://www.justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">www.justforeignpolicy.org</a><br><a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><br>
<br> <br>