Has the President received the Authority?

Relative to US Actions with Tomahawk Missles and Bomber aircraft attacking ground targets in Libya,it seems we have forgotten that the United States is premised upon the US Constitution which requires that Congress invoke the war powers of the United States before a president makes an Act of WAR! We are now involved in a WAR. which has not been Authorized within our Constitutional requirements. [Congress shall have Power...] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; Sen. Carl Levin,on 'Meet the Press', has stated that the Authority came to the United States based on a UN Resolution. The US President does not attain authority for an act of war from the UN, he retains the authority from the US Congress! Carl Levin did not mention this. We have too many US Representatives that do not follow or understand their constitutional duties. In the UN Resolution 1973, The Russians and the Chinese abstained. Either of these two members, as members of the UN security council, could have cast one no vote and the UN Resolution would have failed! They are probably happy to have abstained on this as they have now been given precisely the future premise to move on a sovereign nation if they are inclined to intercede in the affairs of sovereign nations near there influence. They will also see the US energies weakened and drawn down as we are involved and mobilized in two other nations. It will also not do any thing for our ascendency to power as a world leader with MORAL AUTHORITY, a premise that our President ran for office. We must ask, is this in the Strategic interests of the United States. Is the ultimate goal truly only that we inforce a no fly zone. For this we must see our Congress rebuke the president for his unilateral act. For while he was seeking authority from the UN he could have been simultaneously been seeking authority from the Congress. President Reagan was not authorized by congress to expend money to fight the Sandanista guerillas, and it became a Federal Case, yet will we hear a word from the Congress? Will Quaddafi fall, will he cede his position after 40+ years?

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June Koontz March 20, 2011 at 6:34pm

In this case I feel we had no choice but to go along with the UN resolution.
- Dave Wallace > June Koontz March 20, 2011 at 7:04pm
  
  Thanks June.I respect your thoughts and wisdom. I am leaning in your direction as well. But, I was hoping that the President would arm them with Stingers and Armour killing Rockets that would have allowed the insurgents to fight their own battles. We have not lifted a finger in Lebanon. Nor any of the other countries, especially Syria,and Iran. I am so unhappy that with all the time he had he never tried to mobilize the American citizens, and especially the Congress and having the houses pass a war resolution to authorize our Military actions which he has initiated. The President can not act on the authority of the UN nor can he skirt the Constitution! Now we have a war with a stated goal, but on the otherhand we are showing different intentions. Our country is now weaker in combating aggression by Russia toward it's neighbors, Georgia as one example, and the many others. Also the Chinese in the way of Taiwan, and Tibet, Nepal, and even Vietnam. And the main question that always dominates: is the intervention by the US in our Strategic Interest, and if it does will it require direct or indirect intervention?
  - Sharon Weckesser > Dave Wallace March 20, 2011 at 9:03pm
    
    The President, in the current instance, has absolutely no authority to use military force (an act of WAR) against Libya and has therefore violated his oath of office.
    
    Any Republican President would now be facing Articles of Impeachment for having done the same thing. I doubt, however that the Republicans in Congress have the testicular fortitude to do anything like that.
    
    Norman Weckesser
Dave Wallace March 20, 2011 at 11:34am

Presidents have submitted 118 reports to Congress as a result of the War Powers Resolution, although only one (the Mayagüez incident) cited Section 4(a)(1) specifically stated that forces had been introduced into hostilities or imminent danger.
Dave Wallace March 20, 2011 at 11:20am

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;We also have based on the congressional duties under the
Constitution have seen Congress pass and have enacted over the Veto of the President The War Powers Act.
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

"War Powers Act" redirects here. For other uses, see War Powers Act of 1941.War Powers Resolution
Full title Joint resolution concerning the war powers of Congress and the President.Enacted by the 93rd United States CongressCitationsPublic Law Pub.L. 93-148Stat. 87 Stat. 555CodificationLegislative historyIntroduced in the House as H.J.Res. 542 by Clement J. Zablocki (D-WI) on May 3, 1973Committee consideration by: House Foreign AffairsPassed the House on July 18, 1973 (244–170)Passed the Senate on July 20, 1973 ()Reported by the joint conference committee on October 4, 1973; agreed to by the Senate on October 10, 1973 (75–20) and by the House on October 12, 1973 (238–123)Vetoed by President Richard Nixon on October 24, 1973Overridden by the House on November 7, 1973 (284–135)Overridden by the Senate and became law on November 7, 1973 (75–18)Major amendmentsRelevant Supreme Court casesU.S. Congressional oppositionto U.S. involvement inwars and interventions
1812 North AmericaHouse Federalists’ Address1847 Mexican–American WarSpot Resolutions1917 World War IFilibuster of the Armed Ship Bill1935–1939Neutrality Acts1935–1940Ludlow Amendment1970 VietnamMcGovern-Hatfield Amendment1970 Southeast AsiaCooper-Church Amendment1971 VietnamRepeal of Tonkin Gulf Resolution1973 Southeast AsiaCase-Church Amendment1973War Powers Resolution1974Hughes-Ryan Amendment1976 AngolaClark Amendment1982 NicaraguaBoland Amendment2007 IraqHouse Concurrent Resolution 63The War Powers Resolution of 1973 (50 U.S.C. 1541–1548) was a United States Congress joint resolution providing that the President can send U.S. armed forces into action abroad only by authorization of Congress or if the United States is already under attack or serious threat. The War Powers Resolution requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30 day withdrawal period, without an authorization of the use of military force or a declaration of war. The resolution was passed by two-thirds of Congress, overriding a presidential veto.
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