Pelosi: Libya mission ‘strengthened’ by continued consultations with Congress

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday
reiterated her support for the U.S. military intervention on Libya while saying
American participation “is strengthened by the president’s continued
consultation with Congress.”

Her comments come amid increasing complaints from lawmakers
that the Obama administration has kept Congress out of the loop during the
early military campaign. A Pelosi ally, House Democratic Caucus Chairman John
Larson (Conn.), has been critical of the mission and said “the full Congress
should have been more informed and involved in this decision.”

Pelosi issued a statement backing Obama’s policy last
Friday, before the mission began but after he briefed congressional leaders at
the White House. She has been on an official trip to Afghanistan and Italy,
where she and other lawmakers were briefed by the chief of staff for the U.S.
Army Africa command that is overseeing the Libya operations.

{mosads}In her statement Wednesday, Pelosi said “actions taken by
the international community have already prevented [Libyan leader Moammar
Gadhafi] from implementing his threat to ‘show no mercy’ to his own people,
including those living in the city of Benghazi.”

“Decisions made in the days ahead are strengthened by our
NATO partners’ participation,” she continued. “U.S. participation is
strengthened by the President’s continued consultation with Congress.”