I need to say up front that I don't disagree with what the Pentagon is doing in regard to military pay in Libya, I just think it contradicts what the President is saying.
Yesterday, Hot Air reported that the Department of Defense is paying "imminent danger pay" to service members who fly planes over Libya or serve on ships within 110 nautical miles of its shores.
Hot Air reports:
"This is Obama's big argument for why the War Powers Act shouldn't apply to Libya, of course. No American is in any serious danger, therefore there aren't really "hostilities" going on, therefore there's no need for Congress to formally authorize the mission."
The President can't have it both ways--either we are at war or we are not. The article points out that two of the lawyers from the Pentagon have advised President Obama that the military actions in Libya do actually fall under the War Powers Act.
This is not a minor issue. What is at stake here is whether or not the President is accountable to Congress on the issue of declaring war. The media has pretty much ignored this story, but depending on the actions of Congress, we may not have heard the last of this issue.
Leave a comment