Imperial Presidency

The War Powers Act and Syria

"The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) a specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces. All this talk about 'consultations with Congress' is disinformation, unless first the language in the section quoted above is triggered which would then authorize the president 'to introduce' the U.S. armed forces into 'hostilities'." Continue reading →

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Politics of Bombing Syria Is Secondary to the President’s Power

"He will claim that it is not an act of war but a one-time retaliation. He will claim that he has the authority by his power to conduct foreign policy. Precedents that go back to the earliest days of the republic support the latter claim, even if the Constitution has nothing to say about the conduct of foreign policy. Obama, the constitutional lawyer, understands this. If he decides to bomb Syria, he will. His only political calculation will be what degree of public and Congressional support he wants to secure, but he has no doubt that he has the power to bomb. He already has been using this power in Libya, Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere since he became president." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolitics of Bombing Syria Is Secondary to the President’s Power

Obama Pushes Nations Into World War 3

"The situation in Syria has always been a proxy war between the United States and Russia. But that all changed when Israel directly attacked a Russian missile depot, launching what amounts to a direct attack on the Russian forces. Russia ultimately called upon a ‘combat readiness’ drill following this attack. More than 160,000 Russian troops from across the nation met with naval ships, aerial bombers and fighters, and other assorted military wings in order to attain ‘immediate combat readiness’. And it was back during his appearance on the Jay Leno show, the part which was entirely ignored in the US, where Obama and Jay directly compared Putin to Hitler. That’s right, Hitler." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama Pushes Nations Into World War 3

Rumsfeld: Obama hasn’t justified Syria attack

"Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday night that President Barack Obama had not done enough to justify an attack on Syria. 'One thing that is very interesting, it seems to me, is that there really hasn’t been any indication from the administration as to what our national interest is with respect to this particular situation,' Rumsfeld told Fox Business Network host Neil Cavuto. Rumsfeld criticized the Obama administration for being in a 'withdraw mode' and an 'apology mode.' He said the lack of U.S. assertiveness on the world stage had created a power vacuum that was being filled by those who didn’t share American values or interests." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRumsfeld: Obama hasn’t justified Syria attack

British PM concedes vote on military action should await UN report

"David Cameron was forced to delay plans for immediate military strikes on Syria last night after being warned he faced losing a Commons vote. MPs will vote tonight on a hastily prepared motion which still supports the principle of military action. However, it will not now be carried out until ‘every effort’ has been made to secure a UN agreement, and even then, direct British involvement would require a second Commons vote. The decision to wait for a second vote is a humiliating setback for Mr Cameron who had privately promised Barack Obama that Britain would stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritish PM concedes vote on military action should await UN report

White House faces high bar on Syria after Bush Administration’s Iraq lies

"The White House will likely argue that since its proposed action in Syria will be 'limited' it does not require Congress to wield its constitutionally granted power to authorize a declaration of war. But the more time that passes before US military action, the more restive the domestic political scene becomes. A growing number of lawmakers have concerns and polls show Americans wary of another foreign entanglement. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy meanwhile said on MSNBC that cruise missile attacks may make people 'feel better, but it may not actually make the Syrian people safer or advance US national security interests.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House faces high bar on Syria after Bush Administration’s Iraq lies

Obama administration hints it could act alone on Syria

"The United States hinted Thursday it could act alone to punish Syria for a chemical weapons attack. The Obama administration also denied that public skepticism dating to an Iraq war intelligence debacle was complicating its effort to justify possible military action against Syria. Obama, who came to power criticizing his predecessor George W. Bush’s go-it-alone approach on foreign policy, was confronted Thursday with a choice over whether to wait for allies or launch unilateral US action. Obama aides stress they envisage only 'limited' punitive action in Syria and dismiss comparisons with the US invasion of Iraq, which the president built his political career on opposing." Continue reading →

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Ten Reasons the U.S. Is No Longer the Land of the Free

"Since 9/11, we have created the very government the Framers feared: a government with sweeping and largely unchecked powers resting on the hope that they will be used wisely. The indefinite-detention provision in the defense authorization bill seemed to many civil libertarians like a betrayal by Obama. While the president had promised to veto the law over that provision, Levin, a sponsor of the bill, disclosed on the Senate floor that it was in fact the White House that approved the removal of any exception for citizens from indefinite detention. Dishonesty from politicians is nothing new for Americans. The real question is whether we are lying to ourselves when we call this country the land of the free." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTen Reasons the U.S. Is No Longer the Land of the Free

Citizen Obama’s Middle-Class Vacation in Martha’s Vineyard

"Seventy hotel rooms had been booked for the president’s secret police (not counting those for the whores). Somber men could be seen everywhere with earpieces and bulging jackets. People on the island generally yielded before them on the sidewalk, out of deference for what they understand are their own bodyguards. 'It’s good to be in Massachusetts again,' the president confided when climbing down from a MV-22 Osprey, a military helicopter-airplane hybrid. 'With its tough gun laws, the state of Massachusetts illustrates how common-sense controls can reduce crimes and create a safe gun-free zone for middle-class families like mine.'" Continue reading →

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Michael Scheuer: Use the Constitution to prevent war with Syria

"Amidst the developing momentum for the U.S. to enter another war that will strengthen al-Qaeda and its allies — like the one Obama fought in Libya and the anti-democratic one in Egypt he authorized this month — perhaps it is worth reviewing three salient and crystal clear facts. –1st : The United States has no genuine national-security interests in Syria. –2nd: Unless America is attacked first, no U.S. president has the constitutional authority to take America to war without a formal declaration of war by Congress. –3rd : Today’s status quo in Syria benefits U.S. national-security interests without Washington having to take any action at all." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Scheuer: Use the Constitution to prevent war with Syria