Have Liberals Ever Considered They Could Be Wrong?

Far be it from me to jump up in defense of President Obama. I can literally count on one hand how many times I’ve nodded with some degree of approval during his presidency. And just for the record, I was against involvement in Libya myself. Pacifist? — hardly. Isolationist? — not quite; just extremely anti-involvement in Muslim matters. We see just how much they appreciate the help. Here, though, I just want to throw a blanket on the childish behavior and idiotic understanding of the world liberals continuously show.

At any rate, in response to US air strikes in Libya, our liberal establishment has once again gotten itself into a hissy. It is the usual suspects of the hard left Democrats. They question the constitutionality of Obama’s orders to use military force much the same way they argued against W Bush’s orders. They are even talking about bringing up impeachment. Even the pundits and former sycophants are coming out of the wood work against President Obama. The liberals are using his own campaign rhetoric against him. The same rhetoric that spellbound so many of them and caused more than one man among them to utter near-homoerotic feelings. Now they are making him look like a traitor to the cause. Unfortunately that is as deep as their argument goes.

For example, Andrew Sullivan railed most of the last few days that Obama’s order of military action was illegal. Several readers dutifully pointed him towards the War Powers Act. After utilizing Wikipedia, no doubt, to check their sources, he offered a clarification, which is to say he knew next to nothing about which he was railing in the first place. Amazingly after skimming over it, he still doesn’t understand why it exists at all.

it seems to me that Act makes a mockery of the separation of powers.

Sullivan basically asks: can’t they just change it?

No. No, they can’t. Secondly, the separation of powers is safely intact. The War Powers Act gives Congress the power to disengage troops over the president’s wishes based several on clauses therein. This act does not need the President’s signature and basically is a legislative veto. Consider that and ask yourself who has the power.

The United States has engaged in sizable operations two dozen times since the War Powers Resolution passed. I can’t even count the times minor deployments have happened since that time. In 1990, The UN Security Council authorized “all necessary means” — sound familiar?- to remove Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait. President Bush used the UN mandate to mobilize American forces. In response, more than 50 Democrats took President Bush to court, citing unauthorized action due to no Congressional approval. The courts dismissed the case. President Bush later made his case to Congress though said he had a legal right to make war against Iraq “regardless of any action that Congress might or might not take.” Similarly President Clinton echoed these remarks when he decided to US military force. He “welcomed” congressional support in action against Haiti. Then he added, “Like my predecessors of both parties, I have not agreed that I was constitutionally mandated to get it.”

Point being here is that there are times when the president must act quickly and decisively — not saying Libya was one of them — or gather the best information possible and present his case to Congress. Since he is the foci around which all information converges, the president often gets his way when national security or interests are in question. Moreover, Article II, Section 2, states the President shall be Commander-in-Chief ….” and has been far more enduring that Article 1, section 8 (Congresses’ Powers). Presidents have used their power to station troops all over the world and used to justify military intervention in Korea (1950) to — count them — Iraq 2003 and now Libya, 2011.

So when laid out for them, liberals must see that the President has legal powers and presidential obligations that are historically in line from almost the beginning of the office in order to safeguard American interests. They persecuted W. Bush as a Nazi and war criminal and made movies about his assassination. President Obama has had to make a tough call as Commander-in-Chief and now he is the object of their scorn. Though on a more respectable level.

Perhaps, a little honest self-evaluation is in order here. It is time to ask yourselves, can everyone be wrong but you?