Congress Should Not Forfeit Its Strong Hand on Libya: Why H. Con. Res. 51 Is a Losing Play

Todd Gaziano / June 02, 2011

President Obama spent weeks marshalling support from foreign governments for a military intervention in Libya but virtually no time consulting with the U.S. Congress or trying to explain to the American people why intervention served our national interests.  Almost three months later, coalition forces are involved in a costly stalemate and we still have no clear sense why our forces are engaged.  It is time for Congress to assert itself, but it should not do so in a way that squanders its authority or ends in an empty gesture.

President Obama was unwise to engage our armed forces in a war in Libya without support from Congress, and lawmakers are right to be angry and demand more information from the President on America’s evolving military mission in that war (the President’s recent characterization of the engagement as “non-kinetic” only makes matters worse), but trying to transform an important military and economic policy debate into a legal dispute won’t work.  Congress has several ways to force the President to follow its will if it acts prudently, but it cannot simply dictate to the President how he uses the military forces it has raised and funded. (more…)