Libya war re-drawing US politics

The complexity of the Libya conflict is drawing some strange alliances in Washington’s corridors of power, blurring traditional party lines and dividing both Democrats and Republicans.

While President Barack Obama has drawn support from some hawkish Republicans, including from his erstwhile-rival for the White House Senator John McCain, some of his Democratic allies on the left are now up in arms.

From within his own camp, Mr Obama on Monday was accused of being “an extremist” who is failing to comply with the law by not winning congressional approval for the involvement of US forces in Libyan conflict.

“The extremist position is that any President can commit our forces for any duration with any amount of force for any purpose. And Congress is merely a source of optional advice,” Democratic congressman Brad Sherman said.

“Keep in mind that when (President Thomas) Jefferson sent American forces to Libya in 1802 he got congressional approval first.”

At issue is the legality of the war, which the US administration has insisted is to help protect Libyan civilians as rebels seek to oust long-time leader Col Gaddafi.

The dispute touches on the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of the US government, a bedrock principle of US democracy.

“Keep in mind there are lawyers who are a permanent part of the executive branch who have been advising presidents to take the absolute extremist position and then to hide the fact that they’re taking it,” Mr Sherman said.

Mr Sherman is among a growing chorus of US lawmakers, from both sides of the political spectrum, who have accused the Obama administration of ignoring the 1973 War Powers Act, a law intended to check a President’s ability to go to war without seeking congressional approval. The amendment if passed would “apply to 98 per cent of the funds that go to the Pentagon, Mr Sherman said.

The White House last week said in a letter to Congress that the War Powers Act – which has been largely ignored by past presidents – does not apply to events in Libya because there are no US troops on the ground there.