Senate declines to take up 2007 Obama statement on congressional authorization for attack

The Senate declined on Tuesday to take up a resolution that would have affirmed a 2007 statement by then-Sen. Barack Obama that a president must gain Congress’s permission before authorizing a military attack.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who introduced the measure as an amendment to the Small Business Administration (SBA) authorization bill, wanted his colleagues to go on the record in support of, or opposition to, Obama’s remarks.

As a presidential candidate in 2007, Obama said that “The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”

Obama neither sought, nor obtained, the consent of Congress before deploying U.S. forces to Libya to enforce a no-fly zone after Moammar Gadhafi threatened his country’s citizens with violence.

Paul said he wanted to see the Senate go on the record on such a crucial matter.

“I look forward to entering into a vote to gauge my colleagues’ opinion on whether or not the President has the authority to unilaterally authorize a military attack when there is no imminent danger to the United States,” said Paul. “Since President Obama has yet to come to Congress to address us regarding the military action in Libya, all we have are his words to go by.”

The vote was 90-10.