Providing for Consideration of H. RES. 292, Regarding Deplotment of United States Armed Forces in Libya, and Providing for Consideration of H. CON. RES. 51, Libya War Powers Resolution
Floor Speech
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rushed, hyper-partisan process that we are watching today on a very serious issue of war resolution. It is absolutely a given that Congress has a role to play in terms of the President's action that it should be scrutinized and that we should have the opportunity to weigh in on it. Our Armed Services Committee has been meeting on a regular basis, holding administration officials' feet to the fire on those very questions. We had a hearing yesterday.
The fact of the matter is, though, just because Congress has the right to weigh in doesn't mean that we should pass a resolution for resolution sake. The batting average of Congress in terms of rushed resolutions, frankly, folks, is not very good. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was rushed through the Congress, and we know now today that historians have uncovered the fact that misinformation was presented to the Congress. The Iraq War Resolution in 2002 was rushed through this Congress with bad information.
And we are now seeing today language which was drafted literally overnight being presented to the Members of this body and being asked to weigh in in a deliberative fashion. This is a polemic we are voting on. This is not a carefully balanced, bipartisan process which the people of this country and the people who wear the uniform of this country deserve.
If you read the statement of policy, it is devoid of any of the lead-up to the President's decision which included a resolution by the Arab League on March 12 to impose a no-fly zone; the U.N. Security Council on March 17 to impose a no-fly zone; and on March 1, the United States Senate voted unanimously, not 51 percent, not 81 percent, not 91 percent, 100 percent in support of a no-fly zone, a Republican and Democratic bipartisan resolution calling on the President to do exactly what he is doing today.
Now, again, there is no question, 70 days is a long time.
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Mr. COURTNEY. It is longer than certainly it was originally presented to
this Congress; but the fact of the matter is this resolution, which was drafted in a partisan fashion, is so disappointing to the people who care so profoundly about whether or not the decisions on war and peace are actually going to be deliberated, debated, and voted on in a serious fashion. We are left with this truncated process that is, again, almost an insult to the people of this country.
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