As House Prepares To Vote, Public Opinion On Libya Becomes More Negative
Later today, the House of Representatives will vote on two resolutions regarding the Libya mission, one of which authorize the President to continue the current mission and the other of which would cut off funding for the mission. As Congressmen debate those resolutions, they will no doubt be paying attention to a new Gallup poll showing increased public opposition to the President’s Libyan mission:
Americans are more likely to say they disapprove than approve of the U.S. military action in Libya. That represents a shift from three months ago, just after the mission began, when approval exceeded disapproval.
The results are based on a Gallup poll conducted June 22. The House of Representatives is set to vote on resolutions that would limit the U.S. role in Libya, partly because of questions about whether the mission violates the War Powers Act since President Obama did not obtain congressional authorization for it. The U.S. sent forces to Libya in March as part of a multinational force to protect rebels in that country from attacks by Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi.
Broken down by political party, only Democrats give the mission majority support:
Additionally, the opposition to the war is driven mainly by the perception that there are no U.S. interests at stake in Libya:
Given the fate of previous votes on the Libya mission in the House it seems likely that the resolution to defund the war will pass today. Such a bill has no chance of passing the Senate, of course, but it would still be a tremendous embarrassment to the President. However, it’s really nobody’s fault but his own. He could have consulted with Congress, he could have asked for authorization under the War Powers Act, he could have better explained why we’re there. He did none of those things, and now he’s reaping the whirlwind.
It is no surprise that more and more Americans disapprove of the Libyan action. It must be frustrating to think that the money wasted somewhere in Africa could be spent to fund Social Security, building infrastructure, etc.