Obama Slapped With Libya Lawsuit
A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) today filed a federal lawsuit against President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, seeking to prevent the administration from using U.S. funds for military action in Libya.
The White House, which was already prepping a report to Congress to explain the administration’s ultimate goals in Libya and why congressional authorization wasn’t sought for its so-called kinetic military action, did not have any immediate response to the lawsuit. This from the National Journal:
In addition to Kucinich and Jones, the plaintiffs are Democratic Reps. Michael Capuano of Massachusetts and John Conyers of Michigan; and Republican Reps. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, Dan Burton of Indiana, Howard Coble of North Carolina, John Duncan of Tennessee, Tim Johnson of Illinois, and Ron Paul of Texas.
“For too long, the Constitution has been put on the back shelf for so long when it comes to the issue of war,” Jones said in an interview with National Journal. “I’m sure the drafters of the Constitution would be with us. For too long the Congress has stood in the stands and not been on the field when it comes to the issue of the war.”
Among the arguments made in the 36-page lawsuit, the lawmakers contend that the president violated the law by going to war in Libya without a declaration of war from Congress as required by the War Powers Resolution. They also argue that the administration is violating the North Atlantic Treaty, which “allows only for military actions in defense of a member state” and requires that any U.S. involvement in a NATO action occur only in “accordance with [the] respective constitutional processes” of the United States.
I’ve lost track of how many times the Obama Administration has overtly broken or flatly ignored the rule of law, so the latest doesn’t surprise. It serves as yet another in a long line of examples of pure arrogance displayed by Obama, placing himself and his own agendas above the Constitution, the courts, and commonsense.
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