Sunday 5 June 2011

What Resolution?

America's participation in the war in Libya has now been illegal for quite some time, although you have to watch Russia Today or Press TV to hear about that fact on television.

Dennis Kucinich, one of very few anti-war Democrats not to have done a 180-degree turn as soon as Obama was sworn in, last week tried to table a resolution condemning this bloody folly. But the House authorities, who are Republicans, managed to prevent it from being put to the vote, knowing that it would have been passed.

So much for the Republic. And within that, so much for having two parties, each checking and balancing the other.

3 comments:

  1. As much as I admire some of the qualities of the Founding Fathers, it is true that you cannot rely on a mechanistically designed government to work like a clock for all eternity, much less over a few centuries.

    That being said, at the very least there needs to be new institutional checks on the Executive’s ability to make war, as even the U.S. Supreme Court has largely given the presidency imperial powers when it comes to foreign policy and war. Perhaps a "Peace Amendment" to the Constitution?

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  2. Giving constitutional effect to the War Powers Resolution?

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  3. That is a good idea. Since the U.S. Supreme Court is loath to restrict the Executive’s powers in military and foreign policy areas, I am not sure legislation like the War Powers Resolution (which is still pretty controversial) is enough, as I would predict that the SCOTUS would side with the White House if push came to shove.

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