Dear Dirty America

A bill has been introduced by congressman Walter Jones (R-N.C.) reaffirming that the president and the Pentagon must get congressional approval to launch wars. The bill reads, “the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II, section 4 of the Constitution.”

Congressman Jones submitted the bill on March 7th. There has been almost no mainstream media coverage of this bill, yet it comes at an important time. Just a few days ago the Senate held a hearing with top brass bickering over who holds the power to authorize the use of the American military. 

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey told congress they don’t need its permission to launch wars or invasions, but instead only needed approval from the United Nations and NATO. They said their authority does not come from the Constitution.

When asked by Sen Sessions if he thought imposing a no-fly zone over Syria without Congressional approval was lawful, Panetta stated, “You know, our goal would be to seek international permission. And we would come to the Congress and inform you and determine how best to approach this, whether or not we would want to get permission from the Congress.”

Sessions said, “I’m really baffled by the idea that somehow an international assembly provides a legal basis for the United States military to be deployed in combat.”

International bodies, which are not influenced by American voters or tax dollars, should not be in charge of launching U.S. military forces around the world. What Panetta is saying is treasonous, and a high crime against our United States of America.

Robert Chesney from Lawfare Blog writes:

The Panetta-Sessions exchange nicely illustrates how important it is to make plain…in discussing such matters which of the two issues one is addressing at a given point in time. In this case, as the example of Libya last spring made clear, the Obama administration takes the view that Congressional authorization is optional rather than required not just in cases of national self-defense, but–so long as the level of force involved is kept below the threshold of “war” in the sense of involving limited means, objectives, and duration (and no boots-on-the-ground)–but also in cases implicating other important national interests. 

With Libya in mind, Pres Obama, as well as Leon Panetta, is subject to impeachment under Jones’ bill, and the coming interference in Syria, whether it be the implementing of a no-fly zone, airstrikes, or actual “boots on the ground”. Congress continually warned Obama about continuing his military operations in Libya, but the president stood defiant, reminding Congress he had approval from the United Nations. 

Here’s the Sessions-Panetta exchange: