Just Foreign Policy News
June 6, 2011

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Video: Just Foreign Policy Debates Libya War Powers
RT's "CrossTalk": Is Obama's power subject to the War Powers Act? CrossTalking with Robert Naiman, Dave Kopel and Leslie Vinjamuri.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIGUN_BIlTo

U.S. Boat to Gaza is a Quarter Jewish - "Not Too Shabby!"
The New York Times reports that a quarter of the passengers on the upcoming U.S. Boat to Gaza will be Jewish. Maybe it means that the Israeli authorities will have some compunction about shooting up our boat. Maybe it means an open contest of a construction of Jewish identity based on supporting the obstruction of Palestinian freedom, with a Jewish counter-narrative of universal human liberation.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/us-boat-to-gaza-is-a-quar_b_871928.html

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On Friday, more than two months after President Obama ordered U.S. forces into a war of choice in Libya without Congressional authorization, and more than two weeks after the expiration of the 60 day limit of the War Powers Resolution for the unauthorized use of force, the House finally debated and voted on the deployment of U.S. forces to the Libya conflict. You can watch the debate on c-span here.

What brought this debate and vote to pass was a resolution to withdraw U.S. forces from the conflict within 15 days brought pursuant to the War Powers Resolution by Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich. This resolution was originally supposed to be voted on Wednesday, but the House leadership, fearing that the resolution would pass, delayed consideration until Friday.

In the meantime, Speaker Boehner crafted an alternative resolution criticizing the Administration's lack of communication and consultation with Congress on the war, designed to drain enough support from the Kucinich resolution so that the Kucinich resolution would not pass.

Not surprisingly, Boehner's strategy worked. The Boehner resolution passed, 268-145, with 223 Republicans and 45 Democrats voting yes [roll call.] The Kucinich resolution was defeated, 148- 265, with 87 Republicans and 61 Democrats voting yes [roll call.]

Despite the defeat of the Kucinich resolution, Friday's action by the House was important.