Political Quotes

“I yield myself 1 minute. Members will be asked to vote on two resolutions, H. Con. Res 51, and a resolution offered by Speaker Boehner, H. Res. 292, both of which address U.S. military involvement in Libya. I do not believe that H. Res. 292 is at odds with H. Con. Res. 51, but it's not a substitute for the resolution that Mr. Burton and others have worked on. It's imperative that Members clearly understand this, because the consequence of voting for one--that's the Speaker of the House resolution--and not the other, H. Con. Res 51, ends up being an endorsement of unconstitutional action that was taken by the White House. So how does Congress deal with the failure of any President to adhere to the Constitution? If Congress does not challenge a President's dismissal of the clear meaning of article I, section 8, then we will have tacitly endorsed a President's violation of the Constitution and guaranteed the perpetuation of future constitutional transgressions. A mild rebuke alone of the usurpation of a constitutionally mandated war power is insufficient to defend the Constitution. Many of us want to support our President, but the President has ignored Congress' assertion of the war powers by failing to obey the War Powers Resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.”