U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 29, 2011. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg |
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WASHINGTON, June 29 (UPI) -- U.S. military action in Libya isn't at a level that would require congressional approval as outlined in the War Powers Act, President Obama said Wednesday.
"I said there would be no troops on the ground. I said that we would not be carrying the lion's share of this operation, but as members of NATO we would be supportive of it because it's in our national security interests and also because it's the right thing to do," Obama said during a news conference. "We have done exactly what I said we would do."
A number of congressional Democrats and Republicans have expressed dismay over Obama's failure to seek congressional approval for the U.S. presence in Libya, with some saying they will work to strip funding for Libyan operations.
The United States has carried out its mission in "exemplary fashion," Obama said.
"And throughout this process we consulted with Congress," he said, noting there have been 10 congressional hearings, discussions with congressional members and and "reams" of information about the operation.
"So a lot of this fuss is politics. And if you look substantively at what we've done, we have done exactly what we said to do under a U.N. mandate, we have protected thousands of lives in the process, and as a consequence, a guy [Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi] who was a state sponsor of terrorist operations against the United States of America is pinned down and the noose is tightening around him."
When the War Powers Act was enacted soon after the Vietnam War, Congress wanted to ensure it was consulted before the president began "getting us into those kinds of commitments," Obama said. "And I think that such consultation is entirely appropriate."
But Obama said he doesn't believe his decisions concerning Libya "in any way" violate the War Powers Act.
