Congress Prioritizes Vacation Over War Powers, Again
The Intercept reports Congress punted on using the War Powers Act to halt potential military action in Venezuela, opting instead for their holiday recess. This isn’t a new phenomenon; it’s a time-honored Washington tradition of avoiding accountability. Recall how the Bush administration laid the groundwork for Iraq, replete with flimsy intelligence, while Congress mostly watched. Or how various
administrations have bypassed congressional approval for military interventions in Yemen, Syria, and Libya, always with urgent, but ever-shifting 'national security' pretexts. One might wonder if this legislative vacation was truly unavoidable, or if the prospect of a new, potentially resource-rich conflict simply isn't controversial enough to interrupt their eggnog. How many 'last chances' do
legislators get before their inertia leads to another costly, bloody intervention? (It’s never enough, apparently.)