CNN Poll: Obama's Foreign Policy Rating at All-Time Low

A day before President Obama is scheduled to deliver a prime time address on Syria, a new national poll shows his approval rating on foreign policy has hit an all-time low.

Only four in 10 approve of the job Obama is doing on foreign policy, while 57 percent disapprove, according to the CNN/ORC International survey of more than 1,000 adults.

"President Obama's approval rating on foreign affairs has continued its steady decline - from 54 percent in January to 49 percent in April, 44 percent in June, and just 40 percent now," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "This may be a troubling sign for a president who in past polls had always scored his highest ratings for his handling of foreign affairs."

Obama is pushing for congressional authorization for U.S. military action to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime for allegedly using chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war in Syria.

The poll also found that just 31 percent of respondents approve of the president's policies and actions regarding Syria, and 63 percent disapprove.

The president's overall approval rating stands at 45 percent, with 52 percent saying they disapprove of the job he's doing. The 45 percent approval rating is unchanged from CNN's previous poll, which was conducted in June.

Via: Newsmax

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Congress is not authorized to start a war with Syria, either

TAMPA, August 30, 2013 – Today, the British Parliament is debating the U.K.’s response to an alleged chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government against rebels and civilians.

This prompted Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to tweet a picture juxtaposing the ongoing debate in Parliament with the empty U.S. Congress building.

Cruz and others have expressed the opinion that President Obama cannot take military action against Syria without consulting Congress first.

Tweet by Senator Ted Cruz (R_TX) - Click to Enlarge

They’re wrong. Congress doesn’t have the power to start a war with Syria, either, under present circumstances.

Most people misunderstand the declaration of war power as “permission” to start a war. It’s not.

The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare that a state of war already exists. This can only be true if the nation in question has committed overt acts of war against the United States.

This is supported by each and every declaration of war in U.S. history. Each declaration has followed the same format.

1. Congress cites the overt acts of war committed by the nation in question against the United States.

2. It recognizes the existence of the war because of those overt acts.

3. It directs the president to utilize the military to end the war.

The process is somewhat analogous to a criminal trial. The president “makes his case” to Congress that certain actions by a foreign nation amount to acts of war. Congress then deliberates, renders its verdict and passes sentence. The president is directed to execute the sentence.

Via: Washington Times

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