Reply #50: Conyers: Congress Should Bar U.S. Ground Troops From Libya

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Robert Naiman.Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy


Conyers: Congress Should Bar U.S. Ground Troops From Libya


Posted: 04/ 4/11 06:03 PM ET


In the wake of President Obama's decision to go to war in Libya without Congressional authorization or debate, there's a heightened level of public and media cynicism about the ability of any Congress to constrain any administration on warmaking in any way whatsoever.

This is dangerous. It's important for Congress to assert its war powers: important to prevent the U.S. from being sucked into another quagmire, important to build pressure for a negotiated resolution in Libya by shutting down the possibility of further military escalation, important for future efforts to prevent and limit U.S. wars that Congress act affirmatively to impose limits.

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Michigan Representative John Conyers has put forward an initiative that has a very strong claim to majority support. Conyers plans to introduce an amendment to the next government funding bill -- the Continuing Resolution -- that would prevent appropriated funds from being used to fund any type of ground troop presence on Libyan territory. Together with Reps. Honda, Stark, and Woolsey, Rep. Conyers is circulating a letter to his colleagues in support of this amendment.

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Some will say: this measure is not necessary, because the president has promised not to put U.S. ground troops in Libya, and Defense Secretary Gates has stated his firm opposition. Indeed, it is extremely unlikely that the administration will try to put ground troops in Libya tomorrow. But there is a saying in Washington: "It's always too early, until it's too late." If we get to the fork in the road where putting ground troops in is a live proposition politically, it may be too late for Congress to stop it. The administration was publicly against a "no fly zone," before it was in favor of something much more aggressive. That's why it's important to lay down the barrier now.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/libya-ground-troops_b_844550.html