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Politico...
John Boehner rips
President Obama on Libya
By Jake Sherman
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) escalated his critique of President
Barack Obama’s handling of military operations in Libya Wednesday,
sending the president a scathing letter that demands answers to the
run-up to engagement in the region and hits the White House for first
consulting the United Nations and the Arab League, but not Congress.
Boehner wrote in the letter that he is “troubled” the United States
military has been engaged in the attacks on Libya “without clearly
defining” what the mission is and what America’s role is in achieving
the goal.
The letter is a far sharper critique of the president’s handling of the
affair than Boehner has offered. It makes clear that Republicans, at
least in the House, will play an oppositional role for the White House
as the situation in Libya unfolds.
Libya has emerged as thee dominant political discussion in Washington
and partisan divides are beginning to take firmer shape. On Wednesday,
a band of Senate Democrats who were critical of the war in Iraq came
out in support of Obama. In the Republican-controlled House, the
Foreign Affairs Committee called on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton to testify.
Politically, the GOP had been cautious on Libya. Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been publicly silent after the airstrike.
Boehner’s letter, though, escalates their position against the White
House. Given Boehner’s methodical, and deliberate messaging strategy,
the questions he posed are likely to keep surfacing until sufficient
answers are given to Congress.
The questions touch on the U.N. resolution, among other things. Boehner
notes that the U.S. has said Col. Mommar Qadhafi should step down, but
the resolution does not indicate a similar goal. Given that, Boehner
asks if it would be acceptable for Qadhafi to stay in power, how he’d
be removed from power, and why the U.S. would “commit American
resources to enforcing a U.N. resolution that is inconsistent with our
stated policy goals and national interest.”
He also hits on the strategy as it deals with American partners in the
mission. The speaker asks which nations are in the lead, if there are
clear lines of authority and responsibility and whether the mission
involves attacking “land-based battlefield activities.”
And if other nation’s drop their support, Boehner wants to know if the
U.S. will “take on an increased role.” He’s also seeking information on
when the Americans will hand over control, and how long after that U.S.
forces will be involved. And if Qadhafi stays in power, how long a
no-fly zone would stay in place.
Also, he wants the administration’s plans to engage with opposition
forces, also inquiring what “standards must a new regime meet to be
recognized by” the U.S. government.
The budget-slashing Republican leader also wants to know the cost of
the mission, and if the administration will seek a supplemental funding
measure for military actions.
“Because of the conflicting messages from the Administration and our
coalition partners, there is a lack of clarity over the objectives of
this mission, what our national security interests are, and how it fits
into our overarching policy for the Middle East,” Boehner continues.
“The American people deserve answers to these questions. And all of
these concerns point to a fundamental question: what is your benchmark
for success in Libya?”
Boehner criticized the Obama administration for sending “contradictory”
messages about the U.S. role, leaving the American people in the dark,
while consulting “extensively on these same matters with…the United
Nations and the Arab League.”
He called the decision not to consult with congressional leaders before
deploying American troops “regrettable.”
On Tuesday, though, Obama administration officials did brief House and
Senate aides on the mission while Congress was in recess and most
lawmakers were out of Washington.
Read it at Politico
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