According to the Washington Post the war in Iraq could be illegal without new legislation before the end of the year. Sure, we’ve got quite a while before that happens but I don’t have much faith in them getting the legislation passed in time. Odds are, those who are against the war will filibuster any pending legistlation to push it after the new year. GW, who doesn’t like to listen to reason, logic, or the law will continue the war unabated regardless of what our system of checks and balances says he can or can’t do. Maybe I’m being a tad bit cynical but time will tell
A crucial yet overlooked deadline looms over the Iraq debate: Unless further action is taken, the war will become illegal on Jan. 1, 2009.
Despite protestations to the contrary, Congress clearly understood that it was authorizing the president to intervene militarily when it passed its joint resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq in October 2002. But it did not give him a blank check. It allowed for the use of force only under two conditions.
The first has long since lapsed. It permitted the president to “defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.” This threat came to an end with the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s government. It makes no sense to say that it continues today, or that our “national security” is “threatened by” the Iraqi government headed by Nouri al-Maliki.
Read the rest at the Washington Post
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