Obama Is On the Verge of Committing a Criminal Act of Aggression in Syria

14

I have to admit, sometimes I get too bogged down in the moral and practical estimates of U.S. militarism. Just Foreign Policy’s Robert Naiman at the Huffington Post reminds us that, ahem, Obama can’t legally bomb Syria without Congressional approval:

On Sunday, Republican Sen. Bob Corker and Rep. Eliot Engel — a Democrat who voted for the Iraq war — told Fox News that President Obama should strike Syria first and get congressional approval afterwards.

That’s not how the U.S. Constitution says it should go. That’s not how the War Powers Resolution (which, despite the name “resolution,” is binding U.S. law) says it should go. The Constitution and the War Powers Resolution say that absent an attack on the United States, Congress must approve military action before it takes place.

…Congress is out of session right now. But there is no emergency that requires immediate, unconstitutional, illegal action. If there were an emergency that required immediate action, Congress could be called back into session. If there’s no emergency that requires immediate action, then action can wait until Congress reconvenes.

Syria’s sectarian civil war has been going on for years. If President Obama wanted to intervene militarily, he’s had ample opportunities to put the proposition to congressional debate and vote.

It is perhaps not a coincidence that when President Obama intervened militarily in Libya — also without congressional authorization — Congress was out of session.

There is no provision in the Constitution or the War Powers Resolution for a “recess war.” If the precedent is set that the President can do whatever he or she wants so long as Congress is out of session, the war powers provisions of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution will be substantially undermined.

It’s also worth noting that the U.S. is a party to international statutes establishing it as a criminal act to go to war against a country that doesn’t pose a direct threat without a resolution from the UN Security Council. According to the Constitution, this obligation, signed by treaty, is “the supreme law of the land.”

It is well known that the leaders of the world’s most powerful state needn’t abide by the law, as the Bush administration’s 2003 war of aggression against Iraq showed indelibly. But let it be known that President Obama is on the verge of committing a criminal act of international aggression. Period.

33 thoughts on “Obama Is On the Verge of Committing a Criminal Act of Aggression in Syria”

    1. The Miele I keep at my office. I have been very happy with my Canon Pixma printers. And it focuses on love and promises and how to be a 'good' human thru Victor, Victoria and Emily. Pioneer Cd Players Ebay Use Car Cd Player Home http://www.a-pathetic.net/93/bose-cd-players-for-… Thanks for reading, I hope this review was helpful! Tomorrow I'll go try to find a metal one. Tested before install and after install. What I did was let the hair grow for a bit, a few days, then I actually tweezed them! Yes, I spent quite a bit of time on that. http://www.youtube.com/

  1. Never fear though, the lawyers are working on justifications that will undoubtedly by fully obtuse and ambiguous, as well as arrogant…and no one in Congress will put forth the effort to cry foul. The Congress is more than willing to allow Obama to go down that path, as they were when Bushco did the same thing so they can say with gusto when things suit them that they were not consulted and would have advised against whatever the Administration decides to do. And of course, there is an election coming up next year…campaign fodder for sure.

  2. Syria’s sectarian civil war has been going on for years. If President Obama wanted to intervene militarily, he’s had ample opportunities to put the proposition to congressional debate and vote.

  3. Abdelmonem al-Said is the head of the militia that kidnapped Libya’s prime minister last month. He proudly stands by his role in the abduction and defiantly announces in press conferences how not scared he is of retribution or punishment, because the government is too weak, Crisp reports.

  4. Obama great leader in the world and great sprite by him. They specially focus on education system and education issues. We help the students in studies and science work and school work. Thanks for everything here.

  5. I believe, you spent a lot of time time write this things, because you made some good points there especially "The Constitution and the War Powers Resolution say that absent an attack on the United States, Congress must approve military action before it takes place"

  6. Word of love and appreciation and greeting fulfillment and private
    Greeting fill all the meanings of brotherhood and friendship
    Greetings from the Heart to Heart
    Thank you with all my heart
    GREAT ARTICLE TNX FOR WORK I LOVE THIS
    ????? ????
    and welcom to d great blog for cooking games loi

  7. Supplements can help your dreams of having your own product come alive. Intermountain Supplements offers a wide variety of custom formulation services including liquids, capsules, sprays, powders, and more.

Comments are closed.