Congress Has Already Approved Bush’s Attack on Iran!****************
Nine US Warships sailed into the Persian Gulf on the morning of May 23rd, 2007. They did so in broad daylight with no attempt at stealth. It was obvious they wanted to be seen. It’s difficult to miss a steel city floating on your horizon. This is a small portion, a tiny fraction, of the US “blue water” Navy.
There are, in the area, elements of the US “brown water” Navy. The brown water navy, among other things, is capable of navigating (above or below the surface) the rivers and waterways and penetrating deep into a hostile country with no one even suspecting their presence. A little “slight of hand” is sometimes needed to direct the eyes of the hostiles away from the brown water and fix them on the blue water. Sailing a fleet into what are considered hostile waters… in broad daylight… could qualify as a “diversion”.
In any event, the day of a strike on Iran is growing closer with each tick of the clock.
Meanwhile back in DC… the Dems are scared “witless” that the Bush Administration is going to launch a military strike on Iran… and there is nothing they can do about it! In fact, they fear they have already given him permission, as if he needed it.
How? (You may ask.)
Well, three possible authorizations leap to mind:
The authorization I refer to so often… “The War Powers ACT of 1973” comes to mind first. Hey, a law is a law… and it is just as binding as it was in 1973. It scares the living daylights out of the Dems. They instituted this resolution to force Nixon out of Vietnam. The purpose of the War Powers Resolution (P.L. 93-148, passed over President Nixon's veto on November 7, 1973) is to ensure that both Congress and the President share in making decisions that may get the U.S. involved in hostilities.
The War Powers Resolution states that the President's powers as Commander-in-Chief to introduce U.S. forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war; (2) specific statutory authorization; or (3) a national emergency created by an attack on the United States or its forces. It requires the President in every possible instance to consult with Congress before introducing American armed forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities unless there has been a declaration of war or other specific congressional authorization. It also requires the President to report to Congress any introduction of forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities, Section 4(a)(1); into foreign territory while equipped for combat, Section 4(a)(2); or in numbers which substantially enlarge U.S. forces equipped for combat already in a foreign nation, Section 4(a)(3). Once a report is submitted "or required to be submitted" under Section 4(a)(1), Congress must authorize the use of forces within 60 to 90 days or the forces must be withdrawn. For more on this see:
http://www.fas.org/man/crs/81-050.htm
Now here’s the thing: The Resolution states that Congress recognizes the President's constitutional authority to use force during "a national emergency created by attack upon the United States... armed forces." (See Paragraph above.) That provision alone, it seems to me, would give the President all the authority he needs to launch an attack upon Iran.
Why?
Nine US Warships sailed into the Persian Gulf on the morning of May 23rd, 2007. They did so in broad daylight with no attempt at stealth. It was obvious they wanted to be seen. It’s difficult to miss a steel city floating on your horizon. This is a small portion, a tiny fraction, of the US “blue water” Navy.
There are, in the area, elements of the US “brown water” Navy. The brown water navy, among other things, is capable of navigating (above or below the surface) the rivers and waterways and penetrating deep into a hostile country with no one even suspecting their presence. A little “slight of hand” is sometimes needed to direct the eyes of the hostiles away from the brown water and fix them on the blue water. Sailing a fleet into what are considered hostile waters… in broad daylight… could qualify as a “diversion”.
In any event, the day of a strike on Iran is growing closer with each tick of the clock.
Meanwhile back in DC… the Dems are scared “witless” that the Bush Administration is going to launch a military strike on Iran… and there is nothing they can do about it! In fact, they fear they have already given him permission, as if he needed it.
How? (You may ask.)
Well, three possible authorizations leap to mind:
The authorization I refer to so often… “The War Powers ACT of 1973” comes to mind first. Hey, a law is a law… and it is just as binding as it was in 1973. It scares the living daylights out of the Dems. They instituted this resolution to force Nixon out of Vietnam. The purpose of the War Powers Resolution (P.L. 93-148, passed over President Nixon's veto on November 7, 1973) is to ensure that both Congress and the President share in making decisions that may get the U.S. involved in hostilities.
The War Powers Resolution states that the President's powers as Commander-in-Chief to introduce U.S. forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war; (2) specific statutory authorization; or (3) a national emergency created by an attack on the United States or its forces. It requires the President in every possible instance to consult with Congress before introducing American armed forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities unless there has been a declaration of war or other specific congressional authorization. It also requires the President to report to Congress any introduction of forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities, Section 4(a)(1); into foreign territory while equipped for combat, Section 4(a)(2); or in numbers which substantially enlarge U.S. forces equipped for combat already in a foreign nation, Section 4(a)(3). Once a report is submitted "or required to be submitted" under Section 4(a)(1), Congress must authorize the use of forces within 60 to 90 days or the forces must be withdrawn. For more on this see:
http://www.fas.org/man/crs/81-050.htm
Now here’s the thing: The Resolution states that Congress recognizes the President's constitutional authority to use force during "a national emergency created by attack upon the United States... armed forces." (See Paragraph above.) That provision alone, it seems to me, would give the President all the authority he needs to launch an attack upon Iran.
Why?
Well, we KNOW Iran is supplying weapons, intelligence, training, and even worse, men (so-called Foreign Fighters”) to the insurgents in Iraq. We know those Iranians are directly attacking the US troops in Iraq. See how neatly the provisions of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 cover this situation. It’s as though it was written expressly for it. This Statue could be easily invoked as implicit Congressional Authorization to attack Iran!
Now… let your mind drift back to the days right after the horrible attack on the World Trade Center 9/11/01. Recall that just after 9/11, Congress authorized the President to use force "against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons."
Now, we know that that Iran both "aided" al Qaeda before 9/11 and "harbored" al Qaeda after 9/11. Going a bit further… we know that Iran helped transit al Qaeda trainees - including some of the 9/11 hijackers - across the Iranian-Afghan border. The Bush administration has long accused Iran of harboring al Qaeda operatives since 9/11 and even the US State Department, no friend of the Bush Adnministration, reported back in 2003, four years ago, that al Qaeda members fleeing Afghanistan "have found virtual safe haven" in Iran.
Still not convinced? OK. Lets look at the “Iraq Force Authorization” which Congress passed back in 2002. This piece of work from the bright bulbs on The Hill, (many of whom are trying, wih all their might, to make you forget they voted for it!) authorizes the President to "enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq."
As if that didn’t give the President enough authorization … after the Invasion of Iraq… the UN Security Council issued resolutions authorizing coalition forces to "take all necessary measures" to secure Iraq, including "preventing and deterring terrorism," "ensuring force protection" and "countering ongoing security threats posed by forces seeking to influence Iraq's political future through violence."
Wow! That sorta puts the cork in the old bottle, what?
See, here’s the thing… Iran has been playing with fire for a long while inside Iraq. As a result, a US attack against Iran is covered by this authorization in several ways. Besides supporting Shiite Iraqi insurgents in attacking U.S. forces and Sunni civilians, we know that Iran's military is entering Iraqi territory. Remember Iran’s recent seizure of British sailors? That incident took place in Iraqi waters. And there is a report that Iranian troops apparently crossed into Iraq and attacked U.S., and Iraqi forces, inside Iraq, in 2006.
Do you begin to see how the President could believe he has all the authority he needs to strike Iran with no notice to Congress before the attack. And that is most likely what he will do.
When the attack comes it will be swift and it will be deadly. Do not be surprised to learn the US assets have been on the ground in Iran for months and even years now.
President Bush has a year and a half, give or take, left in office. He is not going to “punt” the Iran problem, to the next administration, as Clinton did the Iraq problem. It’s not his nature. So, sometime before the President leaves the White House SOMEBODY will launch an air war on Iran. As I have said before… the aircraft may not bear US markings, but you can bet they will be supported by US tanker aircraft, intelligence, and most likely, US, and British, Special Forces “Operators” on the ground, inside Iran, painting targets… and whatever the country taking point on the attack needs.
Look, again, at that fleet of US warships sitting out there in the Persian Gulf, off shore of Iran. Why are they there? Tell me again.
Longstreet
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http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-51.htm
According to this the little dictator can do as he feels.....
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