US Law Unclear if Bush Can Invade Without Congress OK: Alito
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by Agence France Presse

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito said US law is unclear as to whether President George W. Bush could launch a military invasion of Iran or Syria without congressional approval.

However "the president has the power of a commander-in-chief," Alito told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Alito's remarks came in response to a hypothetical question asking if he believed the US president would have to secure approval from lawmakers in Congress before launching an invasion of Syria or Iran.

"There's been general agreement ... to support the authority of the president to take military action on his own in the case of an emergency, when there is not time for Congress to react," Alito said.

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Democratic US Senator Joseph Biden nevertheless prodded Alito for his position on the issue.

"It's really kind of important whether or not you think the president does not need the authority of the United States Congress to wage a war where there is not an imminent threat against the United States," Biden said.

Full story here.