Boehner Presses Obama on Libya Action

By CARL HULSE
NYT

WASHINGTON — The House speaker, John A. Boehner, on Wednesday pressed President Obama to clarify what the administration hoped to achieve through military intervention in Libya, as top Senate Democrats defended the president’s handling of the crisis.

In a letter made public as the president returned from his Latin American trip, Mr. Boehner said the administration had sent conflicting messages about its goals in Libya. He said the public deserved a fuller explanation of the objectives of the military mission and how the White House will measure success.

“It is regrettable that no opportunity was afforded to consult with Congressional leaders, as was the custom of your predecessors, before your decision as commander in chief to deploy into combat the men and women of our armed forces,” Mr. Boehner said, reiterating a bipartisan complaint raised by lawmakers in recent days.

Earlier, Mr. Boehner had struck a more neutral tone, saying America had a “moral obligation” to help opponents of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi while urging the White House to define its intent. But Wednesday’s letter illustrated mounting Congressional wariness over the use of force without fuller participation by the House and Senate as well as uncertainty over how long American military units would lead the military action.

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