House Rejects Libya Authorization

The House flatly rejected President Obama's measure to authorize U.S. military action in Libya, with 70 Democrats voting against President Obama's proposal for a final vote of 295 to 123, and only eight Republicans voting in favor of the measure. Military intervention in Libya has been a hot-button topic between Congress and the White House. Many Congressmen are angry at the Obama administration for taking action without seeking their approval, a move Republicans say violates the Constitution's 1973 War Powers Resolution. The House has neither voted against a military operation since 1999, nor overruled a president's authority since Bill Clinton during the Bosnian war.