Because We Said So
Mar 6th, 2008 at 11:34 am by Susie
And because Congress has refused to stand up to this president in any meaningful, consistent way, we have situations like this:
The Bush administration yesterday advanced a new argument for why it does not require congressional approval to strike a long-term security agreement with Iraq, stating that Congress had already endorsed such an initiative through its 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein.
The 2002 measure, along with the congressional resolution passed one week after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks authorizing military action “to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States,” permits indefinite combat operations in Iraq, according to a statement by the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs.
The statement came in response to lawmakers’ demands that the administration submit to Congress for approval any agreement with Iraq. U.S. officials are traveling to Baghdad this week with drafts of two documents — a status-of-forces agreement and a separate “strategic framework” — that they expect to sign with the Iraqi government by the end of July. It is to go into effect when the current U.N. mandate expires Dec. 31.
I saw this yesterday and unfortunately, BushCo is correct.
The fact is that congress IS irrelevant to the war. They have made themselves irrelevant by refusing to exercise their perogatives, and by taking the one instrument of coercion, IMPEACHMENT, off the table.
So now Ackerman and Delahunt and unnamed Republicans and Democrats are unhappy about this? Boo fucking hoo. Maybe if they had DONE something about it a year ago, they’d have a leg to stand on. But they didn’t so they don’t: Congress, overwhelmingly and in bipartisan fashion, abdicated their war responsibilities to Bush (and did so back in 1990 for the Desert Storm as well). They gave away their powers and now they’re upset that those powers have been abused.
Boo hoo.
Even better is that Gary Ackerman must think voters are stupid.
Guess who voted for the Authorization to Use Military Force in Iraq?
And guess who voted for every blank check since then?
Boo hoo hoo for Gary.
so glad hillary voted for the war in iraq!