Congressional Approval

xaeniac

Golden Member
Feb 4, 2005
1,641
14
81
Why was congressional approval needed a few months ago for Syria, but none is needed now for Iraq?
 

compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
27,112
930
126
Executive order. He could have done it then, doing it now. We have a King, not a president, who feels he can pick and choose which laws to follow. If anyone had the balls to hold him to the constitution, he'd have never made it to his second term. Problem is that both democrats and republicans are a bunch of wimps, who only obey the chain of money. That simple. It's all about partisanship, not about what is best for the country. They no longer work for us, but for the corporations that feed them.
 

AyashiKaibutsu

Diamond Member
Jan 24, 2004
9,306
4
81
The president is free to use the military to a limited extent without congressional approval. He could have done it in Syria, but he didn't want to; however, he basically gave congress the option to make the decision since no matter what he decided idiots like comp would hate him.
 

compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
27,112
930
126
The president is free to use the military to a limited extent without congressional approval. He could have done it in Syria, but he didn't want to; however, he basically gave congress the option to make the decision since no matter what he decided idiots like comp would hate him.

I don't hate him. I just think he's incompetent, weak, misguided and dishonest. When it comes to the world issues, this is a JV President. The real idiots are the ones who fell for him twice.
 

AyashiKaibutsu

Diamond Member
Jan 24, 2004
9,306
4
81
I don't hate him. I just think he's incompetent, weak, misguided and dishonest. When it comes to the world issues, this is a JV President. The real idiots are the ones who fell for him twice.

You're blind to your own feelings.
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,516
1,128
126
Do you honestly believe we would have been better off with the Republitards in control?

apparently we would be about the same off... this just seems like deja vu in the middle east.


i'm not happy with either side.
 

AyashiKaibutsu

Diamond Member
Jan 24, 2004
9,306
4
81
If we were on McCain's second term, we'd have washed over Syria with troops and maybe Iraq again and once again be hearing the daily news of our soldiers getting their limbs blown off and brains splattered across windshields.
 

Meghan54

Lifer
Oct 18, 2009
11,684
5,228
136
apparently we would be about the same off... this just seems like deja vu in the middle east.


i'm not happy with either side.


Actually, I think we'd be worse off if the Repubs. had been in power.

Why? Just look at their rhetoric lately....we should have left troops in Iraq, put troops into there again. Almost like they want an occupying force left in Iraq long term, which would give the anti-American sentiment over there even more traction. The Iraqi govt. didn't want Am. troops left there and wanted us out. And that's what we did...we left.

Of course, a lot of what's happening now can be foretold by what happened in Iran over two decades, from the 1950's through the 1970's. In the 1950's, Eisenhower had the democratically elected govt. of Iran overthrown and an American "friendly" dictator, the Shah, and his govt. installed. Why? The oil companies were scared of their facilities, etc., being taken over by the then current Iranian govt. So, Eisenhower "helped" them by helping instigate a coup and install a "leader" friendly to America.

Guess how that worked out? Iranians overthrow the Shah, take American hostages for a year, etc., etc., and now Iran is even more anti-American than ever before. And that's sad because Iran in the 1950's wasn't vehemently opposed to America as it is now.

But the hawks in our current govt. know best......and that's to repeat the same mistakes we made over 50 years ago. But this time, we overthrew a dictator in Sadam, who was really the only moderating force in the Middle East, well, until we got rid of him.

And that's why, I believe, that the elder Bush stopped short of completely taking over Iraq during the Kuwait situation. He knew the long term result would be a Muslim theocratic takeover of the country once our military presence left, which is exactly what happened. We have no one but ourselves to blame for the situation with ISIS.

And it seems the more we diddle in the Middle East, the worse it gets for us.
 
Feb 4, 2009
35,862
17,405
136
If we were on McCain's second term, we'd have washed over Syria with troops and maybe Iraq again and once again be hearing the daily news of our soldiers getting their limbs blown off and brains splattered across windshields.

Don't forget McCain suggested a US presence in Iraq for 80 years
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
88,013
55,456
136
I don't hate him. I just think he's incompetent, weak, misguided and dishonest. When it comes to the world issues, this is a JV President. The real idiots are the ones who fell for him twice.

You're enraged by him beyond all logic or reason. The reason, of course, is that he plays for the wrong political sports team.

It's particularly funny when people who are so blinded by hatred based on little more than signals from the political elites he looks to try and tell other people about how they were duped.
 

Cozarkian

Golden Member
Feb 2, 2012
1,352
95
91
Because nobody in Congress wants to put their name next to a yes or no regarding this, so they are happy to let Obama do what he wants and criticize him later.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
88,013
55,456
136
Because nobody in Congress wants to put their name next to a yes or no regarding this, so they are happy to let Obama do what he wants and criticize him later.

Yeap. Congress's optimal outcome is to do nothing and complain about not being consulted.
 

xaeniac

Golden Member
Feb 4, 2005
1,641
14
81
All I was saying that decisions like these should be consistent. We are paying congress to do a job, let them do it.
 

Tombstone1881

Senior member
Aug 8, 2014
486
161
116
Obama can not win over the republicans no matter what he does.

If he acts on his own, he is called a king and dictator.
If he does not act, he is called weak and ineffective.

It's like the republicans are locked in a bunch of if/then subroutines
and have their pre-packaged criticisms at the ready, for no matter what he does.
 

thraashman

Lifer
Apr 10, 2000
11,112
1,587
126
Obama can not win over the republicans no matter what he does.

If he acts on his own, he is called a king and dictator.
If he does not act, he is called weak and ineffective.

It's like the republicans are locked in a bunch of if/then subroutines
and have their pre-packaged criticisms at the ready, for no matter what he does.

There was a member of Congress a few days ago (I think it was even a P&N thread) who basically said that Congress will wait on the sideline and praise the President if it works or criticize him if it doesn't. Because Congress has literally become the single most useless institution in this country now.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,956
34,128
136
If Congress fails to give the President authority to act then the President should not act. The Constitution is quite clear that the power to declare war is with Congress, not the President. Obviously, we have had a generation or two of craven Congresses that have failed in their responsibilites with respect to the Constitution in their failure to rein in over-reaching Presidents.
 
Jan 25, 2011
17,090
9,576
146
It's sad to watch really. Last year when he sought Congressional support for action in Syria he was called weak and some went so far as to suggest he was underming the authority of the Office of the President by not taking action. Now when he says fine I'll just do it they all whine and cry that he isn't seeking Congressional approval.
 

justoh

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2013
3,686
81
91
I don't hate him. I just think he's incompetent, weak, misguided and dishonest. When it comes to the world issues, this is a JV President. The real idiots are the ones who fell for him twice.

You forgot black (ish).
 

dank69

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
37,391
33,048
136
Executive order. He could have done it then, doing it now. We have a King, not a president, who feels he can pick and choose which laws to follow. If anyone had the balls to hold him to the constitution, he'd have never made it to his second term. Problem is that both democrats and republicans are a bunch of wimps, who only obey the chain of money. That simple. It's all about partisanship, not about what is best for the country. They no longer work for us, but for the corporations that feed them.

I don't hate him. I just think he's incompetent, weak, misguided and dishonest. When it comes to the world issues, this is a JV President. The real idiots are the ones who fell for him twice.
Weakest dictator I've ever seen.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
88,013
55,456
136
Weakest dictator I've ever seen.

That's how the playbook reads, he somehow alternates between being a tyrant and a weakling constantly. The only thing that's important is to be against Obama, clowns like him just then search for whatever the appropriate attack is for the moment. It's because he's rooting for a political football team.
 

thraashman

Lifer
Apr 10, 2000
11,112
1,587
126
That's how the playbook reads, he somehow alternates between being a tyrant and a weakling constantly. The only thing that's important is to be against Obama, clowns like him just then search for whatever the appropriate attack is for the moment. It's because he's rooting for a political football team.

I do find myself wondering at what point conservatives decided that ignorant and crazy was something to be proud of.