President Obama announced Saturday that limited U.S. military action had begun in Libya to protect civilians and rebel forces from Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi.
Obama said the United States and its allies had not sought this outcome but that Qaddafi had given the West no choice.
“We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy,” the president said from Brazil, where he is starting a five-day visit to Latin America. “We must be clear: actions have consequences.”
Obama said he is aware of the risks of taking military action but repeated his assurance that the United States will not send ground forces into Libya.
He spoke after the U.S. military launched a missile attack against Libya’s air defenses with strikes along the Libyan coast that were launched by Navy vessels in the Mediterranean.
The Pentagon said it fired 110 cruise missiles at 20 targets.
A senior military official told Fox News that the goals of this strike are to protect civilians and rebels in Libya and assess the Qaddafi regime’s ability to resist a no-fly zone.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, expressed concern that the president didn’t seek a resolution from Congress before authorizing Saturday’s air strikes.
“This is a grave matter because such an attack is specifically without the required constitutional authority,” he said.
The international intervention in Libya was launched earlier Saturday, as top officials from the United States, Europe and the Arab world meeting in Paris announced immediate military action to protect civilians. Amid combat between Qaddafi’s forces and rebel fighters, French warplanes flew over the country, targeting Qaddafi’s forces. American ships and aircraft didn’t participate in the initial French air missions.
France, Britain and the United States had warned Qaddafi on Friday that they would resort to military means if he ignored the U.N. resolution demanding a cease-fire.
“This is a broad international effort,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said from Paris on Saturday. “The world will not sit idly by while more innocent civilians are killed. The United States will support our allies and partners as they move to enforce” the resolution.
(Source: Fox News)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
its amazing that the whole country is criticizing him for exactly opposite reasons- there is actually no majority that is of the same critique- even within the republican and dem camps. Now readership please read further and learn something since the media isnt telling you what the news MEANS….
Here is the text of the Supremacy Clause from the U.S. Constitution:
(quote)”This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.”( and quote)
The President doesn’t need authority from Congress to use the military when abiding by a Security Council Resolution. Why? Answer: The UN Charter is a Treaty signed by Harry Truman and ratified by the U.S. Senate 98-0. The Constitution states clearly in the Supremacy Clause that treaties entered into are the supreme law of the land and override any conflicting laws- like a bulldozer. The Executive branch of the United States Government is the branch that carries out treaties that require the military since the pres. is the CIC. If the Sec Council approves something the President automatically complies and Congress is not relevant due to the Treaty. To stop the president the Congress needs to pass a law defunding the president. Then it would go to the Supreme Court since Congresses defunding a SCR would be a violation of the Constitution.