[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Antiwar.com Blog

[C. G. Estabrook]

  Antiwar.com Blog <http://www.antiwar.com/blog>
  <http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.com/AWCBlog>


	

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Ron Paul on Libya War Authorization 
<http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/AWCBlog/%7E3/DjuxHKd_Obs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email> 


Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:43 PM PDT

Today the US House defeated two resolutions on the war on Libya. The first one, 
to authorize Obama to conduct the war for a year, failed overwhelmingly.

The second one, sold as a war limitation measure, actually authorized most of 
the activities currently being waged by US forces, was also defeated (a surprise 
to many).

Here is Rep. Ron Paul’s statement against the limited authorization measure:

    Mr. Speaker I rise to oppose this legislation, which masquerades as a
    limitation of funds for the president’s war on Libya but is in fact an
    authorization for that very war. According to HR 2278, the US military
    cannot be involved in NATO’s actions in Libya, with four important
    exceptions. If this passes, for the first time the president would be
    authorized to use US Armed Forces to engage in search and rescue;
    intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; aerial refueling; and
    operational planning against Libya. Currently, absent an authorization or
    declaration of war, these activities are illegal. So instead of ending the
    war against Libya, this bill would legalize nearly everything the president
    is currently doing there.

    That the war in Libya can be ended by expanding it and providing the
    president a legal excuse to continue makes no sense. If this bill fails, the
    entirety of what the president is doing in Libya would remain illegal.

    Additionally, it should not really be necessary to prohibit the use of funds
    for US military attacks on Libya because those funds are already prohibited
    by the Constitution. Absent Congressional action to allow US force against
    Libya any such force is illegal, meaning the expenditure of funds for such
    activities is prohibited. I will, however, support any straight and clean
    prohibition of funds such as the anticipated amendments to the upcoming
    Defense Appropriations bill.

    I urge my colleagues to reject this stealth attempt to authorize the Libya
    war and sincerely hope that the House will soon get serious about our
    Constitutional obligations and authority.

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