Pelosi backs Obama on Libya

President Obama did not require Congress’s approval to
launch attacks in Libya, nor does he need congressional authorization to keep
U.S. forces there, the top House Democrat said Thursday.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the White House
violated neither the Constitution nor the War Powers Resolution when it
launched military operations in the war-torn African nation in March without
Congress’s endorsement.

{mosads}”The limited nature of this engagement allows the president
to go forward,” Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol. “I’m satisfied
that the president has the authority he needs to go ahead.

“If we had boots on the ground … then that’s a
different story,” Pelosi added. “I don’t think they should stop the
support that they’re giving to NATO to stop the humanitarian disaster.”

The remarks are a stark contrast to those delivered Thursday
by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who suggested the House might cut off
funding for the Libyan operation if the administration doesn’t answer more of
Boehner’s questions about the mission.

Obama has been under fire from members of both parties since
he launched the Libya campaign in March while Congress was on recess. The
administration has said the operation was necessary to save thousands – even
tens of thousands – of civilians from government troops controlled by longtime
Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The Pentagon quickly ceded control of the
mission to NATO, but has retained forces in support of the international intervention.

On Wednesday, the administration gave party leaders the
legal reasoning behind its belief that the War Powers Resolution is not
applicable to the Pentagon’s foray in Libya, emphasizing that the mission is
now run by NATO, with U.S. forces playing just a supporting role.

{mosads}The report met fierce opposition from Rep. Dennis Kucinich
(D-Ohio), who spearheaded a bipartisan lawsuit contending Obama violated both
the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution in Libya.

“The White House claim that the war is not war is not a
legal argument,” Kucinich said in a statement. “It is a political
argument.”

Boehner also slammed the report, saying some of the
administration’s claims don’t pass “the straight-face test.”

“The White House says there are no hostilities taking place,
yet we’ve got drone attacks underway, we’re spending $10 million a day, [and]
part of the mission is to drop bombs on [Libyan dictator Moammar] Gadhafi’s compound,” Boehner said. “That doesn’t pass the straight-face test, in my view,
that we’re not in the midst of hostilities.”

Pelosi said she hasn’t read the entire document but has
been receiving a steady stream of classified updates on the Libyan situation.
As long as those communications continue, she said she’ll continue to support
the mission in Libya.

“Consultation between the executive and the legislative
branch is essential,” she said.