Is Libya Action A War Or Not?

Last week David Cameron told the House of Commons: “We are at war in Libya”. But Barack Obama continues to insist that his country’s role in the NATO mission doesn’t even constitute ‘hostilities’. And the US drones firing missiles at Gaddafi-regime targets? No, not ‘hostile’ at all, it seems. All because if Obama admitted that he’d got the US involved in ‘hostilities’ he would have to deign to go to Congress and get their approval since the War Powers Act came into being. But Obama’s denial of ‘hostilities’ risks what remains of his credibility. Before he became president, Obama stated: ‘the President does not have the power under the constitution to unilaterally authorise a military attack in a situation that does not involve the stopping of an actual or imminent threat to the nation’.” Maybe he thought the Libya action would have ended quickly and quietly gone away. Votes in the House of Representatives last week show that it hasn’t – Republican members stopped short of trying to cut funding but delivered a stinging rebuke. Even Hillary Clinton’s attempt to shame them (asking “Which side are you on?”) fell flat, especially from an administration which has made a great play of adhering the rule of law. Republican senator Bob Corker said: “I don’t think anyone in this congress had any idea the president would take such a narrow, narrow interpretation of hostilities.”

The longer Ghaddafi hangs on, the longer the operation continues, the longer Obama will be left to defend his  bizarre position and NATO will again be left dangling on the rope of absurdity.