Greg Sargent: "Obama should seek Congressional authorization for Libya war"

Greg Sargent:

Another important story from Charlie Savage and Thom Shanker: Since handing control to NATO, the U.S. has struck Libyan forces at least 60 times — making it harder to argue that we’re not embroiled in “hostilities.” MORE...

Howie P.S.: More pushback on Libya via Sargent:

Opinion-makers turning on Obama over Libya: My pick for read of the morning: Yale professor Bruce Ackerman’s piece explaining that Obama’s decision not to seek Congressional authorization for the Libya operation is eroding a key check on arbitrary presidential power and setting a precedent for future presidents to wage war at their convenience.

Glenn Greenwald: "Obama Could Be Impeached For Libya Conflict Without Congressional Approval" (with video)

Democracy Now! with video (13:43):

The New York Times recently broke the story that President Obama rejected the views of top administration lawyers when he decided he had the legal authority to continue U.S. military participation in the war in Libya without Congressional authorization. Obama continues to face congressional opposition to the ongoing Libya attack. To examine the legal dimensions of U.S. military intervention, Democracy Now! interviews Glenn Greenwald, a constitutional law attorney and political and legal blogger for Salon.com.

"The idea that presidents can start wars on their own, without any congressional authorization, violates not just the law but the Constitution," Greenwald said. "So sure, in theory, when the president violates the law and the Constitution, that's an impeachable offense. At the same time we have set a very low standard for our tolerance rampant presidential law-breaking." Republican House Speaker John Boehner has called on the White House to further clarify the legal basis for the war in Libya or face a cutoff of war funds. Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers filed a lawsuit accusing President Obama of violating the War Powers Act of 1973.

Greg Sargent: "Will House vote to restrict funding for Libya operation?"

Greg Sargent:

In the wake of Charlie Savage’s big story reporting that Obama rejected his lawyers’ advice that he needed Congressional authorization for the war, one key thing to watch this week is whether the House will now take this confrontation to a head by voting to restrict funding for the operation.

If so, Dems will find themselves torn between opposition to executive overreach and the desire to remain loyal to the president, while Republicans will be torn between their desire to box Obama in and their support for strong American engagement abroad.

"On War and Peace, the Senate Starts to Move" (with video)

Robert Naiman (Truthout) with video from SenatorWebb, (11:57):

Senators are often much harder to move than House members on peace issues, and sometimes people get demoralized. "No, No!" cries the Greek chorus. "Please don't ask us to call our senators!" In general, your average senator is much more attached to the Empire than your average member of the House, because senators are much more insulated from public opinion. They only have to run every six years, and senators rarely seem to show their faces in Yourtown, USA, to answer your questions about why they are supporting endless war.

But when the Senate starts to move - now you got something. MORE...

Shorter Chomsky: "Libya is for the Oil"

Noam Chomsky:

International prosecutors intended to fine the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for murder and mayhem of 1 million 200 thousand people, but the U.S., Britain and their allies prevented that.

The former chief prosecutor, US law professor David Crane, informed The Times that the case was incomplete: The prosecutors intended to charge Muammar Gaddafi, who, Crane said, "was ultimately responsible for the mutilation, maiming and/or murder of 1.2 million people."

But he was not charged. The US, UK and others intervened to block it. Asked why, Crane said, "Welcome to the world of oil"." MORE...

Noam Chomsky on Libya

Libya's leader Col. Moammar Qaddafi shakes hands with supporters upon arrival at a tent-like convention hall on the grounds of the Rixos Al Nasr Tripoli Hotel before presiding over the Libyan People General Congress in Tripoli, Libya, on March 2, 2011. (Photo: Moises Saman / The New York Times)

Noam Chomsky (Truthout):

What the West seeks is what Bush announced: control, or at least dependable clients, and in the case of Libya, access to vast unexplored areas expected to be rich in oil. U.S and British internal documents stress that the “virus of nationalism” is the greatest fear, since it might breed disobedience.

The intervention is being conducted by the three traditional imperial powers (though we may recall – Libyans presumably do – that, after World War I, Italy conducted genocide in eastern Libya).

The western powers are acting in virtual isolation. States in the region – Turkey and Egypt – want no part of it, nor does Africa. The Gulf dictators would be happy to see Gadhafi gone – but, even as they’re groaning under the weight of advanced weapons provided to them to recycle petrodollars and ensure obedience, they barely offer more than token participation. The same is true beyond: India, Brazil and even Germany. MORE...

Horsey: "Partisan politics defines GOP’s lockstep criticism of Libya intervention" (with cartoon)

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

David Horsey, with cartoon, seattlepi.com:

A credible opposition would acknowledge that the Libya situation offered no easy choices. Doing nothing would almost certainly have led to a bloodbath in Benghazi while taking action would draw the United States into a conflict with no certainty of a good outcome. Some would favor one policy direction, some another, but only partisan hacks would opt to be critics no matter which choice was made. MORE...

Secy Gates on Libya: "No arms or boots on the ground" (video)

MSNBC, video, (01:24).

Jeremy Scahill Gives ED Schultz a Big Push Back on his Libya Position (video)

SaveOurSovereignty3, video (06:41).

Bernie Sanders on Libya and Tax Fairness (with video)

Bernie Sanders, with video from MSNBC (07:56):

Bernie discussed American involvement in Libya with MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan.

Obama: "Military action has stopped Gadhafi" (with video)

Ed Schultz with video from MSNBC (26:36):

President Barack Obama told the country that the United States intervened in Libya to prevent a slaughter of civilians that would have stained the world's conscience and "been a betrayal of who we are" as Americans. MORE...

"Papantonio: Libya and the Whiny Republicans" (video)

golefttv, with video (03:22):

The conservatives seem to be torn over whether they want a war in Libya, or whether they want a BIG war in Libya. The only thing they can agree on is that they don't want Obama handling it. Mike Papantonio and Ed Schultz fire back at the flip-flopping GOP over their ridiculous hatred of Obama and everything he does.

Howie P.S.: This one is dedicated to my GOP friend who complained that Obama "went in five days too late."

Juan Cole: "An Open Letter to the Left on Libya"

Juan Cole (informed Comment):

I would like to urge the Left to learn to chew gum and walk at the same time. It is possible to reason our way through, on a case-by-case basis, to an ethical progressive position that supports the ordinary folk in their travails in places like Libya. If we just don’t care if the people of Benghazi are subjected to murder and repression on a vast scale, we aren’t people of the Left. We should avoid making ‘foreign intervention’ an absolute taboo the way the Right makes abortion an absolute taboo if doing so makes us heartless (inflexible a priori positions often lead to heartlessness). It is now easy to forget that Winston Churchill held absolutely odious positions from a Left point of view and was an insufferable colonialist who opposed letting India go in 1947. His writings are full of racial stereotypes that are deeply offensive when read today. Some of his interventions were nevertheless noble and were almost universally supported by the Left of his day. The UN allies now rolling back Qaddafi are doing a good thing, whatever you think of some of their individual leaders. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Booman is not completely on board:

I'd be the first to admit that there are some dumb people on the left who take some really awful positions on certain issues, but most people that I know who oppose this intervention oppose it because it's stupid. Obama promised us no stupid wars, and then he gave us one.

But, you know, that's bygones. I thought it wasn't in our national interests; the president disagrees. So, now I say that we need to go get Gaddafi and not waste time trying to placate an alliance of self-doubters. Do not try to topple him using a rag-tag group of bored teenagers. We don't need to turn Libya into Somalia in order to save it.

And if anyone wants us to do regime change in some other country, my response is most likely going to be the same. It's not our job or our responsibility. If someone else wants to do it, I don't necessarily object and might even be willing to play a part. But we must stop looking to America to be the cop on the beat. John Boehner says we're broke and that we need to take away granny's pension. The Myanmar freedom fighters can call me when granny's got her money back. MORE...

Back to Libya: "The double life of a popular UW lecturer"

Katherine Long (Seattle Times):

A month ago, when professor Ali Tarhouni told his microeconomics class at the University of Washington that he had a death sentence on his head in his native Libya, but that he had decided to return home to help advise the rebel army on economic issues, his students were stunned by the news.
(SNIP)
"As most of you know, I spent the better part of my life fighting to bring democracy to Libya and just about everything that I attempted failed," Tarhouni wrote in an email he circulated to friends and former students on Feb. 27. "Out of nowhere a volcano erupted. These young people who are marching only with stones in their hands facing grenades and live bullets are writing a new chapter for Libya similar to their brethren in Tunisia and Egypt."

He went on to write, "I am not sure who is alive and who is dead but I feel that I need to go back to help as much as I can."

U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, got a call from Tarhouni in Libya about a week ago; the professor asked McDermott to support the no-fly zone — he does — and to encourage the U.S. to recognize the rebels' provisional government. MORE...

"Howard Dean Defends US Mission In Libya: This Time Our Government Isn’t Lying To Us" (with video)

MEDIAite with video (08:58):

The discussion on Libya certainly makes for some strange bedfellows. On Morning Joe liberal columnist Joe Klein and conservative commentator Pat Buchanan agreed that American military involvement in Libya was not a good idea, while former anti-war Democratic candidate Howard Dean was all for it. MORE...

Mapping the War in Libya (with image)

Map and story from the BBC. CLICK TO ENLARGE THE IMAGE.

"Jon Stewart Pitches US Hypocrisy in ‘Freedom Packages’ Infomercial" (with video)

MEDIAite, with video (06:52) from Comedy Central:

After a week off during which significant portions of the world suddenly became the contents of a hellbound handbasket, The Daily Show returned Monday night to launch its own satirical bombardment of US foreign policy. Jon Stewart and John Oliver staged an infomercial-style sales pitch for a variety of “Freedom Packages,” and while the bit was about as subtle as a leopard-print Snuggie®, it was well-executed and Ginsu-sharp. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Once again, in the U.S. the best political commentary comes from the comedians. If you prefer serious punditry, Glenn Greenwald points us to Eugene Robinson:

Gaddafi is crazy and evil; obviously, he wasn’t going to listen to our advice about democracy. The world would be fortunate to be rid of him. But war in Libya is justifiable only if we are going to hold compliant dictators to the same standard we set for defiant ones. If not, then please spare us all the homilies about universal rights and freedoms. We’ll know this isn’t about justice, it’s about power.

"Lawrence O’Donnell: Liberals outraged over Libya action" (with video)

Raw Story:

MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell cited Raw Story in a segment about liberals who don’t support President Barack Obama’s military involvement with Libya.

This video, (08:91), is from MSNBC’s The Last Word, broadcast March 21, 2011.

Webb: 'This isn't the way our system is supposed to work" (with video)

First Read, with video from MSNBC (04:48):

“We have not put this issue in front of the American people in any meaningful way,” said the Virginia Democrat, a former Navy Secretary who serves on the Armed Services Committee. “The president is in Rio, the Congress is out of session.”

“This isn’t the way that our system is supposed to work,” he added.

Webb said that the administration has also lacked coherence about the end goal of the military mission in Libya.

“We have a military operation that’s been put into place, but we do not have a clear diplomatic policy or a clear statement of foreign policy that is accompanying this military operation,” Webb said.

Sam Seder: "Wired’s Spencer Ackerman Discusses America’s Shiny New War in Libya" (audio)

H/t to Majority.fm, audio (16:25).