On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 9:50 PM, Eubulides <[email protected]> wrote:

> So if Congress approves yet more violence, that is ok? If the same
> number of people had been taken out by machine guns rather than
> chemicals would the "moral outrage" be the same?
>

According to me, if Congress approves yet more violence, it is not OK.

However, as a practical political matter, the question of Congressional
approval is the most important speed bump in the U.S. political context on
the path to war, and people who are opposed to more war have a moral and
political responsibility to defend the speed bump.


> Is it possible to draw a bunch of indifference curves re the
> technological scaling of death in Syria vis a vis the Democratic
> Republic of Congo?
>
> Has Congress ever met/disapproved a war it didn't like?
>

Yes, actually. It has been rare, but it has happened.

During Clinton's bombing of Yugoslavia, a resolution endorsing the bombing
was defeated on the floor of the House in a tie vote, thanks to organizing
of Democrats by Kucinich. This helped pressure the Clinton Administration
to negotiate an end to the war.

During Obama's bombing of Libya, Boehner had to scramble to prevent the
passage by the House of a resolution sponsored by Kucinich that would have
compelled the withdrawal of U.S. forces. Instead, the House passed a
Boehner-crafted resolution that rebuked Obama for violating the War Powers
Resolution.

Just a month or so ago, the House leadership maneuvered to block a
bipartisan amendment by Gibson and Welch to the defense appropriation -
which I think would have passed - to block U.S. arming of the Syrian
rebels. Instead, the House passed by voice vote a much weaker amendment
that prohibited funding for any military action in Syria that violated the
War Powers Resolution.



>
> E.
>
> On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 6:02 PM, Robert Naiman
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >
> http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/president-obama-dont-18?source=c.url&r_by=1135580
> >
> > --
> > Robert Naiman
> > Policy Director
> > Just Foreign Policy
> > www.justforeignpolicy.org
> > [email protected]
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
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-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
[email protected]
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