Gene Healy
Washington Examiner
6/20/2011
“No more ignoring the law when it’s inconvenient,” then-Sen. Barack Obama proclaimed on the campaign trail; as president, he’d show the world “that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers.”
So, last week must have been tough on the half-dozen or so liberals still naive enough to believe that.
On Thursday, the president answered House Speaker John Boehner’s request for an explanation as to why, 90 days into our Libyan misadventure, he isn’t in violation of the War Powers Resolution, which requires him to terminate U.S. engagement in “hostilities” after 60 days in the absence of congressional authorization.
“We are acting lawfully,” said Harold Koh, the State Department’s top legal adviser. You see, since we’re hitting Tripoli with offshore missiles and unmanned drones, and the Libyans can’t hit back, we’re not engaged in “the kind of ‘hostilities’ envisioned by the War Powers Resolution.”
There’s a lot to be said about the bald-faced absurdity of that rationale. But one of the most interesting developments is Koh’s role in crafting the administration’s line.
Considering Koh’s background, the whole episode offers a cautionary tale about the corrupting effects of power…
The article continues at the Washington Examiner.
H/T Ann Althouse
Related: THEY HAVEN’T GOTTEN THEIR STORY STRAIGHT YET: Airmen, sailors in Libya receiving “imminent danger pay” despite WH claim of no legal “hostilities.” at Instapundit.
