Fly Zone Hold up there, Slick. ( Foreign Policy ) — The top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee argued against implementing a no-fly zone over Libya on Thursday, and also said that Congress must pass a formal declaration of war if the Obama administration decides to take that step . “Clearly, the United States should be engaged with allies on how to oppose the Qaddafi regime and support the aspirations of the Libyan people,” said Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) at the start of the committee’s Thursday morning hearing on the Middle East. “But given the costs of a no-fly zone, the risks that our involvement would escalate, the uncertain reception in the Arab street of any American intervention in an Arab country, the potential for civilian deaths, the unpredictability of the endgame in a civil war, the strains on our military, and other factors, I am doubtful that U.S. interests would be served by imposing a no-fly zone over Libya.” Lugar pointed to the fact that 145,000 American troops are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the annual U.S. budget deficit is already around $1.5 trillion. “In this broad context, if the Obama administration decides to impose a no-fly zone or take other significant military action in Libya, I believe it should first seek a Congressional debate on a declaration of war under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution ,” Lugar said. Lugar’s stance against imposing a no-fly zone puts him at odds with committee chairman John Kerry (D-MA), who supports the move. Kerry didn’t mention the no-fly zone in his opening remarks on Thursday. However, he did say that “The will of the Libyan people will in my judgment prevail,” contradicting last week’s testimony by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who predicted that Qaddafi would win out. Kerry also argued that America’s reliance on foreign oil had led to a misguided foreign policy in the Middle East. “We had relationships that focused on leaders rather than people and that’s part of the energy dependency we are locked into,” he said. “We cannot continue to see the Middle East in the context of 9/11. We must see it in the context of 2011.” Kerry also announced he will go to the region this weekend, stopping in Egypt on Sunday .
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Senator Lugar: No-Fly Zone Requires Congressional Declaration of War
1. Contrary to the impression left in my earlier post, direct economic aid to Israel was ended in fiscal 2008. Only loan guarantees, subject to extension this year, and military aid remain. I’ve updated the post and regret the error. 2. It’s really not that uncommon to hear foreign aid described as welfare. Thomas Sowell does it here . Here’s Doug Bandow on this site, using it in the context of paying for the defense of wealthy allies in Europe. Maybe it is inevitable that Rand Paul will be judged by things his father has said because their
Via SPQR, PowerLine gives the context for Michele Bachmann’s “armed and dangerous” line: I’m going to have materials for people when they leave. I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax, because we need to fight back. She was handing out materials . She wanted people to be “armed and dangerous” with the facts . All you people who kept screaming about that line: aren’t you ashamed of yourselves? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
View original post here:
The Context of Bachmann’s “Armed and Dangerous” Line
At NRO, from Roger Kimball , highly respected published/editor of Encounter Books and The New Criterion: Message to the world’s Krugmanites: Get used to it. We’re on the march, we’re targeting you, you’re in our crosshairs, and, no, this is not an incitement to “hate” or political divisiveness: It is what politics in a democracy is all about. Yeah, what he said. The point is that there is nothing, nothing at all, wrong with martial language in the context of politics. Anybody with a lick of sense understands that the language is metaphorical. And almost anybody in the mental condition of young Mr. Loughner needs no martial language from politicians to set him off. Earlier today I posted a satirical blog entry blaming atheism for the shooting. Satirical, but also closer to the mark than Paul Krugman’s already infamous column was. The fact is that if one were to assume Mr. Loughner was in his right mind, medically (an obviously false assumption, of course), there is more in Mr. Loughner’s known record to tie him to the left than to the right. Atheism, heavy use of marijuana, flag burning, evil occultism…. the list goes on. I myself have no problem with saying that I enthusiastically will use any forum I have to put virulent atheism, heavy marijuana use, flag burning and evil occultism in my own crosshairs, targed for elimination and utter destruction. And I will not be silenced.
The rest is here:
The Left in our Crosshairs
Ron Klain’s replacement has not been named and comes in the context of a midterm personnel shake-up at the White House.
