Posted on 03/20/2011 5:15:32 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
If nothing else, Dennis Kucinich is consistent. He wanted to push articles of impeachment against George W. Bush and Dick Cheney over the Iraq war, which his own party’s leadership squelched in the summer of 2008 — when Bush’s term had all but expired anyway. Kucinich and John Conyers instead had to settle for “impugnment hearings,” which one witness called “slightly demented.”
Now we have another military action from another president, this one without the cover of a Congressional authorization to use military force, and Kucinich wants to crank up the impeachment process, pun most certainly intended:
A hard-core group of liberal House Democrats is questioning the constitutionality of U.S. missile strikes against Libya, with one lawmaker raising the prospect of impeachment during a Democratic Caucus conference call on Saturday.
Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Donna Edwards (Md.), Mike Capuano (Mass.), Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Maxine Waters (Calif.), Rob Andrews (N.J.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Barbara Lee (Calif.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) “all strongly raised objections to the constitutionality of the president’s actions” during that call, said two Democratic lawmakers who took part.
Kucinich, who wanted to bring impeachment articles against both former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney over Iraq — only to be blocked by his own leadership — asked why the U.S. missile strikes aren’t impeachable offenses.
Kucinich also questioned why Democratic leaders didn’t object when President Barack Obama told them of his plan for American participation in enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone during a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday, sources told POLITICO.
Technically, of course, Kucinich and other progressives are correct in that the Constitution doesn’t allow for Presidents to initiate military action without the involvement of Congress unless an immediate threat to American national security arises, the “clear and present danger” exception. One Constitutional scholar put it best in 2007:
The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.
We’d get a clarification from this source to determine whether this applies to the current situation, but he’s traveling through South America at the moment and isn’t terribly engaged on this issue.
Traditionally, though, consultations with Congress have sufficed in the past. For instance, Congress didn’t specifically authorize Ronald Reagan to attack Libya in 1986 in Operation El Dorado Canyon, a retaliation for a terrorist bombing that killed American troops in Germany at a nightclub. Reagan consulted Congressional leadership before ordering the attack, an act of war by any definition. Presidents have conducted similar military actions without formal acts of Congress to authorize them, meaning it has a long precedent, even if it’s not necessarily a good idea. According to the report and Kucinich’s own objection, Obama did consult Congress before engaging in Operation Odyssey Dawn.
It’s certainly amusing in a small manner to see Obama get hoist with his own petard, but Kucinich is just as silly as ever in suggesting that impeachment proceedings should start over that action. Now, if we want to ask whether Obama should get called to Congress to account for his absence from the White House as he sent the American military into hostile action against Libya, that might be worth highlighting.
This is bull****! The commie ‘RATS are only trying to create the Bill Clinton Sympathy Effect for their messiah. I’m not buying this. The ‘RATS are trying to move the unwashed masses back into Barry’s column.
Bush had authorization from the US Congress to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Obama has authorization from the only legislative body he recognizes: The United Nations.
I think that intentionally alienating the far left can only do so much for a Democrat politically. Obama’s record in office is plain to everyone by now, and his half-hearted attempt to reinvent himself a couple months ago petered out. The best explanation I can think for this action is to keep HRC from resigning and possibly to head off a refugee crisis in Europe. But otherwise, the Obama administration seems to have the Carter disease. Unlike the Carter administration, the defense department isn’t in post-vietnam disarray, but the commander in chief is still an indicisive nitwit.
Democrats impeach Obama? what a joke.
The radical Dems are PRETENDING their Dresses are up over their Heads about this action, in order to encourage the few dumb gullible moderate independents needed to vote for Obama in ‘12.
Don’t fall for this trap...
It’s 2012 campaign mode we’re in now, “for the duration”..........
Obama has little time for the cares of the world as he and his entourage spend a lesiurely afternoon relaxing on Ipanema beach at the taxpayers expense.....
He is letting Hillary do all the heavy lifting on this one... what a truly unengaged commander in chief he is....
I wonder how the mother and fathers of the the sailors and airman conducting these hazardous and potentially deadly missions on Libya are feeling?
Kucinich would impeach his mother if he had one. The rest of the marxist losers in this article represent both the “progressive” marxist wing of the Democrats, as well as some who are just plain mentally ill. Flip a coin and point at any one of them. You can’t lose.
If anybody should be impeached, it is Obama. He’s a “road trip”, absentee president, who coddles up to our enemies even as they are ridiculing him (Chavez, the Red Chinese pianist, Daniel Ortega, Brazil’s marxist president, the Moslem Brotherhood, Code Pink, George Soros, and Helen Thomas, “the Big Bird of Lebanon” and anti-semitism).
Obama has chosen more marxists as advisors, czars, and recess appointees, than there are members of the Communist Party. His party du jour is the marxist Democratic Socialists of America (aka the Progressive Democratic Caucus) though he was raised and weaned on the CPUSA.
“Aiding and abetting” America’s enemies is an impeachable offense. Add to that the betrayal of the few remaining allies of America, Colombia, Honduras and South Korea, with ROC/Taiwan coming soon, and you have treason in season.
I won’t even mention the hatemonger known as Eric Holder who refused to uphold the Constitution.
Let the impeachment begin. Time for the Chicago communist street/community organizer to go. Maybe Mayor Rahm “I’m a well dressed thug” Emanual can get him a job screwing Chicago, again.
Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Donna Edwards (Md.), Mike Capuano (Mass.), Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Maxine Waters (Calif.), Rob Andrews (N.J.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Barbara Lee (Calif.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) "all strongly raised objections to the constitutionality of the president's actions" during that call, said two Democratic lawmakers who took part.There's no such thing as bad publicity. This is a PR stunt to cover their asses and co-opt any conservative or fence-straddling voters.
Could be, but sure is a play to their base, but in this case the polls were saying 70% were opposed to this act of war. That was all people not just libs.
People forget that this situation is perfect for liberals. While Kaddafi is a murderous nut who deserves to have his innards splattered across the Sahara, Libya does not present a problem for our national security. (Thank you Reagan and Bush II.) But anytime there is a chance to put the American military in a situation where we are not threatened, it’s only then that the left wants to use the military.
What am I missing? i did see one thread that got deleted by the DU but nothing has returned that i seen.
One thing I never noticed about those sites. There are no discussions just statements.
Glad to see at least some Dem politicians agree that Obama’s actions are un-Constitutional but they have been quiet regarding his OTHER un- Constitutional positions.
Impeachment according to the Slick Willy Handbook: Play the victim card, parse the meaning of words i.e. “military action” and lie about everything.
If nothing else works, play the race card. Zer0 is not going to let Slick Willy get over on him.
You may be right.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2691749/posts?page=103#103
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2691739/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2691175/posts?page=9#9
LOL - that was good.
I disagree. These Democrats know they are going to have huge losses in the 2012 election due to this man and what he has done, and how he has treated everyone only magnifies the problem.
The only way they have even a slight chance of saving their own rear ends is to dump the anchor that is sinking them. And they will, along with the help of the GOP.
Your absolutely right. We’ve got 20 months to grind the b-——ds down. We need to do it systematically and logically.
Contrary to many people who post I believe grinding down not only includes political action but using the stone which is the Constitution. This ‘stone’ is what the so-called birthers are using so let’s keep the grindstone turning.
Contrary to many people who post I believe grinding down not only includes political action but using the stone which is the Constitution. This ‘stone’ is what the so-called birthers are using so let’s keep the grindstone turning.
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