Second presidential debate: With slip of tongue Obama admits breaking law

Pt. 1

During the second presidential debate on Tuesday, President Barack Obama admitted breaking the law, although he did it unintentionally via a slip of the tongue.

The topic was Libya; the subject was given short shrift because the moderator Candy Crowley ran interference for the president. Crowley decided to add fact check to her list of goals for the evening and she misspoke on a point of contention between Obama and Republican nominee Gov. Mitt Romney.

Obama said this:

But when it comes to our national security, I mean what I say. I said I'd end the war in Libya -- in -- in Iraq, and I did.

The fact Obama called Libya a war—finally—is a good thing.

The fact the president called it a war with a slip of the tongue is a telling thing.

Libya is, in fact, a war and it is the war Obama began although, in the minds of most rational Americans, Libya certainly represented no national security threat for the U.S.

As a matter of fact, Christopher Stevens had praised Col. Muammar Gaddafi:

[Stevens] had served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya from 2007 to 2009. At that time, Stevens described Gaddafi as an 'engaging and charming interlocutor' as well as a 'strong partner in the war against terrorism.'

How did Obama break the law?

Libya is a war.

Obama entered that war without congressional approval.

That constitutes breaking the law.

Crowley did not even broach the topic of congressional approval. In light of what is actually known about Libya right now, Crowley failed miserably if her intent was to get information useful to an allegedly "uncommitted" voter.

As for ending the War in Iraq, The US Report is still waiting for a moderator to ask Obama about all the private contractors still stationed there and the other resources taxpayers are funding [boldface added]:

As of April 2012, 1,369 U.S. government employees were operating in Iraq under Chief of Mission authority, including some 150 uniformed military personnel. Meanwhile, 16,973 contractors -- including U.S. citizens, Iraqis and third-country nationals -- were supporting all U.S. agencies in Iraq. The State Department will spend an estimated $4 billion to support Mission Iraq in the fiscal year 2012, with more than 90 percent of this total going simply to provide security for U.S. government personnel. An additional $887 million will fund police assistance (one of the largest U.S. police development programs in the world), while $1 billion will go toward military assistance and $471 million will pay for other foreign assistance.

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Oct. 17, 2012)

Second presidential debate, Pt. 2: Questions should be asked...

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