CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Updated June 7, 2011 – 3:40 p.m.
Senators Have Second Thoughts on Libya After House Vote
By Emily Cadei, CQ Staff
Senate backers of the U.S. mission in Libya are regrouping after skeptics of the operation got new energy from last week’s House adoption of a resolution critical of the Obama administration.
The Foreign Relations Committee postponed a markup of a resolution that endorses limited U.S. intervention in Libya, and the measure’s sponsors said they are considering strengthening the language.
Critics of the administration’s handling of Libya, meanwhile, are trying to take advantage of the shifting momentum, preparing resolutions that are more critical of the president’s commitment of U.S. forces to the NATO-led mission there.
Foreign Relations spokesman Frederick Jones said Tuesday that the panel would not mark up the nonbinding resolution on Thursday, as planned. Jones said debate on the resolution (
Armed Services Chairman
Corker and
House Resolution
Unrest over Libya in the House forced the Republican leadership to delay a vote on a privileged resolution (
The House adopted the Boehner resolution and defeated the original resolution, authored by Rep.
Sen.
In a briefing with reporters Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader
“I’ll be happy to look at every different idea that people have, from
Senators Have Second Thoughts on Libya After House Vote
Muted Response
The Senate has, by and large, been far less vocal about Libya, although some senators — including Webb, Paul and Foreign Relations ranking Republican
American forces are now playing a supporting role in the NATO-led operation, which is aimed at stopping longtime dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi from attacking Libyan dissidents.
Lugar published an op-ed piece in The Washington Post on June 6 saying Senate passage of the Kerry-McCain resolution “would be a profound mistake that would lower the standard for congressional authorization for the use of military force and would forfeit the Senate’s own constitutional role.”
“The president should take the lesson from the House vote, retract his endorsement of the Senate resolution and propose a joint resolution with the force of law,” Lugar continued.
There does not, however, appear to be the sort of groundswell of opposition to President Obama’s actions in Libya in the Senate that there was in the House.
Even Paul acknowledged that he did not expect the calls for withdrawal from Libya to be as “successful in the Senate as we were in the House,” in terms of the number of votes. “But we’re going to try,” he said.
The influential cosponsors of the Kerry-McCain resolution approving of the operation include Levin; Intelligence Chairwoman
A number of other Republicans have expressed support for intervention in Libya, including freshmen
“We learned on Sept. 11 that the world can change in an instant. We have to have a military and an intelligence agency and a chief officer who can react,” Isakson said. He also said he planned to introduce an amendment to the resolution pertaining to the use of the billions of dollars in Qaddafi assets that the United States has frozen.
Minority Whip
“We don’t have a conference position,” he said. “Members have different views on it. It’s hard to characterize it because views are all over the lot, in both parties.”
Brian Friel contributed to this story.
First posted June 7, 2011 2:48 p.m.