Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) said on Tuesday that the civil war in Libya was like the onset of the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide in that it demanded action from the forces of good.

“My view is that there are times in American history — Rwanda was one, bombing the tracks during the onset to the Holocaust, that we could have sent a bomber wing in to take out the tracks, we didn’t do it — we look back and we see we should use military force to try and defend people who can’t defend themselves,” Weiner said Monday on the Don Imus show in New York.

“If we are a powerful country one of the ways we use our power is for good,” Weiner said. “What’s the purpose of being a powerful country if we are not using it to defend people?”

The U.S. launched more than 110 cruise missiles over the weekend and has sustained an attack through the beginning of the week against military installations and forces controlled by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Although Weiner defended Obama’s decision to lead a coalition on the initial attack, he said the president had erred by initiating the conflict without first seeking the permission of Congress, which according to the Constitution holds the sole power to declare war.

“I do believe the president made a mistake by not going to Congress and asking for permission,” Weiner said.