Saturday, August 31, 2013

Is Obama setting up two-prong Constitutional crisis?

By Donald Sensing
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Sept. 11, 2013. President Obama's request for authorization to carry out air strikes against Syria failed to be approved in the Congress today.

In a short statement following the 275-260 vote to deny his request, President Obama said, "The vote will not stop the necessity of punishing the Assad regime for using chemical weapons to slaughter its own people. As I said in the Rose Garden on August 31, I I have the authority to carry out this military action without Congressional authorization. I am therefore ordering US forces to proceed with the attacks."

In his Rose Garden remarks today on Syria, President Obama said that he will seek a vote of authorization from the Congress when it returns from recess (which is on Sept. 9).

He also said has authority to bomb Syria without Congress' authorization. Here is the entire statement:



In his statement, the president also said this: "Yet while I believe I have the authority to carry out this military action without specific Congressional authorization, I know that the country will be stronger if we take this course and our actions will be even more effective."

Let's parse that.

1. He means that he thinks he has authority as president to bomb Syria without going to Congress at all.

Read more:

http://senseofevents.blogspot.com/2013/0...-two-prong.html

Thanks for posting. Interesting analysis.

"Never let a good crisis go to waste"

I can see another scenario. Congress refuses to authorize war and Obama goes along. This offers him the opportunity to pretend to be listening to Congress and the American people / trash Congress and the American people for being so callous.

Quote: algernonpj wrote in post #2

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I can see another scenario. Congress refuses to authorize war and Obama goes along. This offers him the opportunity to pretend to be listening to Congress and the American people / trash Congress and the American people for being so callous.

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Yup. There just aren't enough tylenol in the world.