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Libya And The Power Of The President

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Tom Gjelten in for Tom Ashbook

Rebel fighters fire a Grad rocket at the front line west of Misrata, Libya, on June 20, 2011. (AP)
Rebel fighters fire a Grad rocket at the front line west of Misrata, Libya, on June 20, 2011. (AP)

It’s now been a hundred days that the United States and its allies have been bombing Libya.
To some in Washington, that means the operation is illegal. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 says presidents need congressional authorization to be at war this long.

President Obama says Libya is not a real war. But getting rid of Moammar Gaddhafi is harder than the White House expected.

This hour On Point: Should the US Congress have a say in how far we go in Libya? Debating War Powers.

-Tom Gjelten

Guests:

Jack Goldsmith, professor of law at Harvard University, who also writes at the Lawfare blog. He was assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel from 2003-2004 and special counsel to the Department of Defense from 2002-2003.

Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is also the author of "Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security - From World War II to the War on Terrorism."

Nancy Youssef, Pentagon correspondent, McClatchy Newspapers

Rep. Jim Moran, has represented Viriginia’s 8th district in Northern Virginia since 1991.

This program aired on June 28, 2011.

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