(01-11-2020, 07:30 AM)The Real Marty Wrote:

(01-10-2020, 01:57 PM)EricC85 Wrote: I’m a libertarian first I believe in limits on executive power and in always cautious about executive overreach. That said 90% of the time I find myself on the side of Republicans, the modern democrat party has just shifted so far towards socialism it’s hard to find much common ground with them.

There’s certain republican senators and representatives I pay close attention to, they like myself tend to lean more libertarian than out right conservative or republican.

One by one in finding them all at odds with the administration and it’s giving me pause.

Justin Amish is at odds with the administration for over reach

Mike Lee is now at odds with the administration over the security briefing and the handling of the Iran situation

Rand Paul isn’t actively making any noise but he certainly has made his objections clear and voiced his uncertainty 

Ron Paul is openly speaking out against our recent actions in Iran

That’s just off the top of my head. Again it’s not enough to chase me into the arms of Bernie but I’m concerned some of the canaries in the mine are chirping louder today.

I think Mike Lee and Rand Paul were mad because at the security briefing they asked, "At what point would a President need to get approval from Congress to start a war or assassinate a foreign leader?"  and the briefers didn't want to give an answer.  "Can the President decide on his own to assassinate the leader of a foreign country?"  No answer.   The response they got was, "Run along now, support the President, shut up." 

If a President can use our military in any way he wants, without any check on that power, including attacking or invading a foreign country,  or assassinating a foreign leader, or killing anyone he wants to anywhere in the world in the name of national security, then do we have a dictator?  

What about the Constitution, which says that war powers reside in Congress?  

I know every President for the last 80 years has done the same thing, so responding "Well, Obama did it." is not an answer.  

How much power should we give one single person?

Personally, I don't see why any libertarian would vote for Bernie Sanders.  He's about as far from libertarian as one can get.

The answer they got, correctly so, was, "We can't answer the hypothetical." You should read the War Powers Act, it might clear some of this up for you. To give you the Cliff Notes, an attack on the US means the President can respond with notification of Congress required within 48 hours AFTER committing the Forces to battle. They can then continue for not more than 60 days without Congressional approval. So, no, we don't have a dictator, we have a responsible US President fulfilling his Congressional approved duties. The same as the Ukraine Hoax. And the same blah blah response by the Do Nothing Legislature.

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