Durbin Defense Of Libya War Makes It Even Worse
Agence France Presse reports on a conference call between Democratic U.S. Senators and journalists, in which the senators attempted to defend Barack Obama’s rush to war in less than 24 hours in a nation’s civil war where no credible threat to the United States was being made.
In that call, Senator Dick Durbin asserted that the purpose of the war is to assist in the construction of diplomatic ties with the new governments of Tunisia and Egypt. Durbin said, “What we are trying to assert are the basic values of our country to make certain that the next generation of leaders in these nations that are undergoing change can identify with the United States.”
Of course, among the basic values of our country is the principle that the Constitution of the United States must be followed by everyone, including the President. Among the basic values of our country, defined in the Constitution, is that the President cannot simply enter the nation into war on a whim. The President must get the approval of Congress, through a declaration of war, first.
If Senator Durbin is right, and the real goal of the U.S. war in Libya is to make an international diplomatic maneuver, then Barack Obama has no good excuse for not seeking a congressional resolution approving of war first. American lives, American treasure, and American reputation are now on the line, with no clear goal, and no exit strategy. Earning friendship points with foreign governments is a terrible justification for such a blunder.
