Responsibility to protect?  Yeah, right…..  (The Atlantic) — Six in 10 Americans don’t think the U.S. should be involved in Libya, according to a new CBS News poll. It found that only 30 percent of Americans think we’re doing the right thing by intervening militarily in that country. That includes majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents.  As a point of comparison, 51 percent of Americans and a majority of Republicans think we’re “doing the right thing” in Afghanistan. The Libya numbers are bad news for the man in the Oval Office.

What does it mean for a president seeking reelection to have launched a wildly unpopular war without congressional approval? That his Republican challengers should run to President Obama’s left on at least some aspects of national security. It might’ve been awkward to do so given that much of Obama’s national security strategy is identical to the one that Republicans praised under George W. Bush. But this affords a surprisingly easy opportunity to win support from an electorate that is tiring of expensive foreign wars: The GOP nominee need not disavow conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan that rank and file conservatives defended for so long. He or she need only rail against the expense, execution, and questionable strategic value of fighting in Libya. (read more)

“The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation”.  – Senator Barack H Obama

“As Commander-in-Chief, the President does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the Legislative branch. It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action”. – Senator Barack H. Obama 2008