Tom Rooney: Obama Violating the Constitution on Libya

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday and accused President Barack Obama of violating the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution for not getting congressional authorization for military actions in Libya.

Excuses, including those rhetorical, for ignoring the law of the land [and] continuing to commit our nations resources to the efforts in Libya, are both weak and irresponsible, said Rooney. Whatever the scope of the fight, our armed forces deserve, at the very least, a conversation between the president and Congress to explain why its critical we send them into harms way.

Rooney, a former professor at West Point and JAG Corps officer in the Army, took exception to recent statements from the administration that military actions in Libya were legal due to their scope and backing by NATO.

Neither the War Powers Resolution nor the Constitution provide any illusion that if an act of war is small, or led by NATO, then it is not an act of war, said Rooney.