Rice Suggests Iraq War Resolution Could Allow For War Against Syria

By Faiz Shakir on Oct 20, 2005 at 11:33 am

Yesterday, in her appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Lincoln Chafee wanted to clarify a simple issue – did the Iraq war resolution passed by Congress restrict military action only to Iraq? Chafee asked, “So would you agree that if anything were to occur on Syrian or Iranian soil, you would have to return to Congress to get that authorization?” Rice responded:

RICE: Senator, I don’t want to try and circumscribe presidential war powers. And I think you’ll understand fully that the president retains those powers in the war on terrorism and in the war on Iraq. “¦

CHAFEE: So that’s a no.

RICE: Senator, I am not going to be in the position of circumscribing the president’s powers.

The first line of the Iraq war resolution signed by the President on October 16, 2002 clearly states its purpose: To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq. Read more

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Politics

Is Karl Rove Still Leaking?

By Judd Legum on Oct 20, 2005 at 10:51 am

Chuck Todd suggests Rove is disclosing details of his grand jury testimony with the AP:

[E]nquiring minds want to know whether or not the person “directly familiar” with what Karl Rove saw during his grand jury testimony shares a brain with some guy in the WH sporting the title of dep. WH CoS?

Todd is referring to this story. Remember, there are only two people “directly familiar” with Rove’s testimony. Rove and Patrick Fitzgerald. (Rove’s attorney cannot be present during his grand jury testimony.)

It’s a pretty good bet that Fitzgerald wasn’t talking to the AP’s John Solomon. And the tone of Solomon’s article suggests his source was someone very sympathetic to Rove. The thrust of the piece was that Libby was mostly to blame.

Note: The White House policy is “not to comment on an investigation while it’s ongoing.”