[Peace-discuss] Is there any question who's the war party?

[Robert Naiman]

The analysis of the peace folks watching this in Washington is that
this vote wasn't a good indicator of sentiment in the Senate. Senator
Lugar, a Republican who has been arguably the most prominent
Republican critic both of the war in Libya and the decision to launch
it without Congressional authorization, voted with the 90 to table,
not with the 10. The question on the floor was attaching language
about war powers to a small business bill.

I'm not against what Senator Paul did; it's more than anyone else has
managed to do on the floor of either body so far. But this particular
vote is not a good indicator of where people stand. Senator Webb, like
Senator Lugar (though not as prominently) has been very critical.

Hopefully, Paul or Lee or others will come back with something else
that will allow a more clean vote ("clean" in the sense of not being
entangled with other issues.)

On Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 9:26 PM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at illinois.edu> wrote:
> 10 GOP Senators Vote to Oppose Libya Intervention
> Posted: 05 Apr 2011 03:29 PM PDT
>
> Senator Rand Paul’s resolution opposing President Obama’s use of force in
> Libya gained the support of 10 Republican senators — and not a single
> Democrat.
>
> The resolution was the same as a quote from President Obama when he was a
> Senator and presidential candidate:
>
> “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 resolution was defeated by a motion to table. The vote was 90-10.
>
> Republican Senators voting to oppose US intervention in Libya were:
> Collins (R-ME), DeMint (R-SC), Ensign (R-NV), Johnson (R-WI), Lee (R-UT),
> Moran (R-KS), Paul (R-KY), Sessions (R-AL), Sowe (R-ME), Toomey (R-PA)
>
> Where are the antiwar Democrats?
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-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org