Sunday, March 27, 2011

President Obama As A War President (A Commentary)



Antiwar Senator, War-Powers President -- John Woo

Like all of his predecessors, this president has realized why the Constitution vested certain powers in the executive branch: Only it can act with dispatch.

President Barack Obama has again flip-flopped on national security—and we can all be grateful. Having kept Guantanamo Bay open, resumed military commission trials for terrorists, and expanded the use of drones, the president has now ordered the U.S. military into action without Congress's blessing.

Imagine the uproar if President Bush had unilaterally launched air attacks against Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. But since it's Mr. Obama's finger on the trigger, Democratic leaders in Congress have kept quiet—demonstrating that their opposition to presidential power during the Bush years was political, not principled.

Read more ....

My Comment: My views on President Obama as a 'War President' are mixed at the moment. There is a part of me that wishes he was more quick and determined .... but another part of me appreciates the time and patience he places himself in before making a major decision when it comes to using force. I guess the true assessment on his Presidency is when he is out of office, and we can then properly assess his Presidency without the media spin that is now occurring within his administration.

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