On the recordJune 22, 2011
yesterday my friends, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, submitted a resolution supporting the U.S. involvement in the NATO action in Libya. I commend my friends who have submitted a strong bipartisan resolution with an impressive list of cosponsors, including Senators McCain, Levin, Durbin, Kyl, Feinstein, Graham, Lieberman, Blunt, Cardin, and others. This should have overwhelming support, and I am confident it will. Some Republicans in the House of Representatives and on the campaign trail have expressed concern over our involvement in this conflict. They have clearly decided to use the War Powers Resolution as a political bludgeon to pursue a partisan agenda. But I also believe there is a larger question we must each ask ourselves as Senators as we consider this military action: Was our participation in the international effort to stop mass murder and chaos in Libya a just decision? I am confident it was. Muammar Qadhafi's repressive dictatorship is a threat to the region and to U.S. national security. Our support of this mission is crucial for our NATO alliance that is leading this mission and for the people of Libya who lived far too long under Qadhafi's brutal regime. I thank the Senator from Massachusetts and the senior Senator from Arizona for beginning to deliberate. These two senior Senators have begun a deliberate, bipartisan discussion of this important matter in the Senate.…





