When did Congress authorize war against Somalia?

[Warren Stupidity]

Amidst all the rumors of looming war with Iran, we have quietly gone to war with Somalia. It seems we authorized Ethiopia as our proxy to invade and topple the Somali government, and oh yes along the way we sent our warplanes in to kill Somalis, and we perhaps have our forces on the ground as well.

Did Dumbass forget to mention in his worst speech yet the other night that he started another war?

Was Congress consulted? Has notification according to the War Powers Resolution of 1973 been provided?

[MADem]

1. Naaah, see, this is war agin' some feller named Al Kaydar

It's jus' hap-nin in Somalia's back yard...

[Kagemusha]

2. Uh, proxy wars aren't covered by the War Powers Resolution...

The US forces involved are special forces and that carrier off the Somali coast, hunting Al Qaeda, which Congress authorized on 9/12/2001.

Abused or not, this is legal discretion Congress has given the President.

[MadMaddie]

3. Another impeachable offense...check

[Kagemusha]

4. Not yet it isn't

It's a strike against terrorists with the permission of the home government (at least, the body recognized by the UN as such), not an invasion.

Look elsewhere for impeachment grist.

[MadMaddie]

6. So he doesn't have to ask Congress for permission to use

US troops and equipment to intervene (even if asked) in another countries problems.

Didn't Clinton have to jump through hoops with Congress before intervening in Kosovo?

Just askin...

[Kagemusha]

7. I'm saying he got this permission over 5 years ago.

It still applies.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. So you think he has authority to attack and invade any nation

on earth simply by claiming that he is attacking al qaeda?

[Kagemusha]

11. I know you mean well. I see lots of your posts here.

But you cannot tell me that engaging in a military strike in a country WITH THAT COUNTRY'S EXPLICIT AND LEGAL PERMISSION is attacking and invading that same country.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. The Somalia government you speak of was not the government

of Somalia at the time of the invasion. And yes the War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the executive to report to congress each and every time it engages in new hostilities, and report regularly on any ongoing wars, regardless of what foreigners said what. There is no exemption there for the charade of 'but they invited us in'.

[Kagemusha]

13. The UN recognizes that government. As to your other statement...

...I think Bush/Cheney think the War Powers Resolution is unconstitutional and will fail if it's ever tested in the courts. I don't like it, and certainly as written, it would seem your interpretation is correct, but someone needs to hold them to the law there. (Differentiating between that law and constitutional powers)

But what *I* am referring to, is the authorization for military force against the organizations responsible for 9/11, namely Al Qaeda and its components. Certainly that's what the US intended to hit here. I think the case that the Somalia incident was authorized by that 9/12 law is MUCH stronger than the case that the invasion of Iraq was justified under it. MUCH stronger.

At any rate, as I said, the UN recognizes the government that "invited us in". Unlike Iraq, the UN did speak about this.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. The war powers resolution is triggered anytime we engage

in new hostilities. Invading Somalia by air and ground would qualify.

[seemslikeadream]

5. war is already opened on four fronts: Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iran

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts01082007.html

....

Neoconservatives have called for World War IV against Islam. In Commentary magazine Norman Podhoretz called for the cultural genocide of Islamic peoples. The war is already opened on four fronts: Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iran.

The Bush administration has used its Ethiopian proxies to overthrow the Somalian Muslims who overthrew the warlords who drove the US from Somalia. The US Navy and US intelligence are actively engaged with the Ethiopian troops in efforts to hunt down and capture or kill the Somalian Muslims. US Embasy spokesman Robert Kerr in Nairobi said that the US has the right to pursue Somalia's Islamists as part of the war on terror.

For at least a year the Bush administration has been fomenting and financing terrorist groups within Iran. Seymour Hersh and former CIA officials have exposed the Bush administration's support of ethnic-minority groups within Iran that are on the US State Department's list of terrorist organizations. Last April US Representative Dennis Kucinich wrote a detailed letter to President Bush about US interference in Iran's internal affairs. He received no reply.

[shance]

8. When they found out there was oil in Somalia.

n/t