Congressman Adam Smith

You know, Barack Obama initiated hostilities against Libya and asked for congressional approval.

Sorry.

He notified Congress that this was happening.

After 60 days, he said hostilities had ceased.

So there was never a vote in Congress, even though hostilities had not ceased after 60 days.

So, yes, as a practical matter, the president's a natural executive authority.

He's one person who has to make one decision.

We're 535.

We have to figure out some way to agree.

That gives the executive greater power.

Now, I think the courts have expanded that power in a very unwise, unconstitutional way in a series of rulings.

But just as a natural matter, one person, executive branch controlling all of that is going to have more power than a body of 535 people.

Now, what we can do and what we've been voting on is to disapprove the war.

It's basically saying, no, you have to stop this war until you get congressional approval.

So we can do that.

Now, thus far, no Republicans or, sorry, a couple of Republicans have voted for it.

Those things haven't passed.

So the other thing we can do is cut off money, something that was done to help in the Vietnam conflict.

So we can do those two things.

Right now, the biggest role that Congress plays in all of this is to drive public opinion because most presidents, the current one seems to be an exception to this rule, but most presidents do respond to public opinion.