Kucinich Blasts Increasingly Illegal US War In Libya
The Constitution grants Congress, not the President, the power to decide when the nation will go to war. The War Powers Resolution gives the President the power to wage war for 60 days without congressional authority, but only in response to an attack on the nation. Such an attack against the United States was never launched by Libya, so Barack Obama was obliged by federal law and the Constitution to seek congressional authorization before bringing the United States into the civil war in Libya.
Obama failed to do so. He violated the law, and began military attacks against the government of Libya. Those attacks have gone on for two months now, and yet have failed to protect Libyan civilians from attack. The United States has entered yet another quagmire.
U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich has taken the passage of two months of the United States in yet another war as an opportunity to reassert the proper role of the President as subject to Congress in decisions of entry into war. Kucinich stated:
“President Obama violated the Constitution by pursuing war against Libya without a Constitutionally-required authorization for the use of military force or declaration of war from Congress. His actions, and now his policy recitations, set the stage for more interventions, presumably in Syria and Iran. His recounting of the reasons for U.S. intervention in Libya is at odds with the facts. There was no clear evidence of an impending massacre in Libya. There was menacing rhetoric and a violent government put-down of an armed insurrection which may have been joined by some with legitimate non-violent aspirations. No one can justify the actions of any parties to this conflict. In any case, discretion requires leaders to move with the utmost care in developing military responses to rhetoric and similar care to intervention in a civil war.
“The UN mandate to protect civilians was exceeded almost immediately and used as a pretext for regime change. The U.S. and NATO are one in Libya. Our nation, through NATO, has taken sides in a civil war which is spreading more violence throughout Libya and putting more civilians’ at risk. The Interim Council of the rebels moved quickly to a $100 million oil marketing agreement with Qatar, unmasking a potential reason for intervention: control over Libya’s vast oil fields which can yield over $300 million in oil daily. The military intervention in a civil war against the backdrop of a struggle for oil casts a shadow of doubt upon lofty rhetoric about positive change, peace and stability. That the U.S. has not intervened militarily in Bahrain and Yemen demonstrates that violent intervention carries high risks and political resolution of conflict is desirable. We must be prepared to seek political resolution of conflicts through statecraft not through military force.”
Impeach Obama!
REP. KUCINICH, THANK YOU FOR DEFENDING FREEDOM. CAN WE JUST IMPEACH PRESIDENT OBAMA AND ALL THE CONGRESS PEOPLE WHO VOTED TO EXTEND THE PATRIOT ACT? I STAYED UP ALL NIGHT TRYING TO COMPOSE A PETITION TO IMPEACH THEM ALL. I WILL PASTE IT HERE FOR YOU TO SEE. I’M SURE YOU WILL LAUGH AT IT BECAUSE I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY, I AM AN OLD LADY ON SOCIAL SECURITY WHO IS WORRIED ABOUT LIBERTY FOR MY KIDS AND GRANDKIDS. I HAVE STUDIED HISTORY, THOUGH, AND I HAVE RESEARCHED YOUR RECORD. YOU ARE AN AMERICAN HERO. DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE TO OFFER ON IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURE? EVEN IF THERE IS NO CHANCE TO SUCCEED, I AM SICK OF BEGGING MY CONGRESSMEN (OK) TO QUIT VIOLATING MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. I WANT TO GO ON THE OFFENSIVE.
TO SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY FOR OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY
WE CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE IMPEACHMENT OF BARACK OBAMA. HE HAS SIGNED THE PATRIOT ACT, A DOCUMENT THAT VIOLATES THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THEREFORE, HE HAS VIOLATED HIS OATH OF OFFICE, WHICH IS TO PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
THERE IS NO MAGIC OR INCANTATION OR ALCHEMY, NEITHER CASTING VOTES OR ADDING SIGNATURES, BY WHICH A DOCUMENT THAT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL CAN BE TRANSMUTED TO A DOCUMENT THAT IS CONSTITUTIONAL.
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES IS LIKE THE THIRD RAIL ON THE SUBWAY. IF YOU TOUCH IT, IT DOESN’T HURT THE RAIL, IT ELECTROCUTES YOU. IF YOU TOUCH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT HURT: IT ELECTROCUTES THE CAREER OF THE PERSON WHO TOUCHED IT. THEY HAVE THEN VIOLATED THEIR OATH OF OFFICE AND WE WILL IMPEACH THEM.
WE CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE IMPEACHMENT OF EVERY SENATOR AND EVERY REPRESENTATIVE WHO VOTED FOR THE PATRIOT ACT: THEY HAVE ALL VIOLATED THEIR OATHS OF OFFICE TO PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
THEY HAVE ALSO, THROUGH THE PATRIOT ACT, CONSPIRED TO SUSPEND OUR LIBERTY AND OUR CIVIL RIGHTS. OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES CANNOT SUSPEND SOMETHING THEY DO NOT POSSESS. OUR LIBERTY AND CIVIL RIGHTS WERE NOT GIVEN TO US BY OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES: THEY ARE UNALIENABLE. WE EACH POSSESS OUR LIBERTY SEPARATELY, AND IT IS NOT SUBJECT TO REPEAL BY A MAJORITY VOTE OF CONGRESS OR BY A PRESIDENTIAL SIGNATURE.
OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, HOWEVER, ARE SUBJECT TO REPEAL. WE DEMAND THAT IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS BEGIN IMMEDIATELY FOR: (PRESIDENT OBAMA AND THE LIST OF CONGRESS PEOPLE WHO VOTED TO EXTEND THE PATRIOT ACT).
THANK YOU FOR ANY ADVICE. THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP.