According to the March 21st Wall Street Journal article, ''Obama Letter to Congress on Libya Sparks Protests'', a senior official of the White House administration explained that this statement was based on ''an invasion like we saw in Iraq. A mission of this kind, which is time-limited, well-defined, and discrete, clearly falls within the President's constitutional authority.''
According to the same article, the president was quoted as saying that the United States had ''commenced operations to assist an international effort authorized by the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council" and ''to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and address the threat posed to international peace and security by the crisis in Libya.''
Although other presidents have moved forward with military actions without prior approval from congress, including Truman in Korea, and Clinton in Serbia, the military action in Libya seemed to frustrate certain lawmakers.
In the same WSJ article, Sen. Jim Webb, (D., Va.,) was quoted as having said in a March 21st interview with MSNBC, "We have not had a debate and I know that there was some justification put into place because of concern for civilian casualties, but this isn't the way that our system is supposed to work."
Lou Fisher, a former researcher with the Congressional Research Service and an expert on war powers, said: ''Mr. Obama's notification letter does not satisfy the constitutional requirement that Congress approve military action.''
However, according to the 1973 War Powers Resolution, only in cases in which the president doesn't seek prior approval from lawmakers must the president notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and put a 60 day deadline on said actions. Obama’s letter appeared to meet this requirement.
Aside from the legalities of the military action of the United States, Brendan Buck, press secretary for Speaker of the House John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), was quoted as saying: ''Members of Congress from both parties, as well as the American people, are demanding the administration do a better job answering some basic questions about the scope and purpose of our mission in Libya, America's role, and how it will be achieved.''
Additionally, according to the March 21st businessweek.com article, ''U.S. Lawmakers Question Obama on Goals of Libya Mission'', U.S. lawmakers in both parties are demanding a plan from the president about what he hopes to accomplish by taking military action in Libya. Without such a plan, it is feared the mission could go on indefinitely.
The Libyan uprising is a conflict in the North African state of Libya against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule. Protestors are demanding new leadership and democratic elections.
Because of this uprising, there are two groups claiming to be the official government of Libya. The regime of Muammar Gaddafi calls the country the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and controls Tripoli and a majority of the western half of the country. The National Transitional Council of the Libyan Republic is led by Mustafa Abdul Jalil, is based in Benghazi, and controls the majority of the eastern half of the country.
