Sanders Questions "War" in Libya

With Congress returning from a week-long recess, lawmakers are taking stock of what the U.S. military is doing in Libya, and many will be listening with a critical ear to what President Obama says in his address to the nation Monday night.

"This country has a $14 trillion dollar national debt. We are currently fighting a...neverending war in Afghanistan. We are still in Iraq, and I think a lot of people are worried about how long we are going to be in this war in Libya," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. "I hope the president tells us essentially we are going to get out as soon as we possibly can."

And there is no doubt in this senator's mind that the U.S. is at war with Libya, despite Administration officials' denials and the president's promise that no U.S. ground forces will be committed to the struggle against Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi.

"I think when somebody drops bombs on other people, usually I think we refer to that as a war," Sanders said, adding that Congress could very well have a role to play in the current situation. The senator, who has in the past supporting a defunding of the U.S. war in Iraq, said, "I think one of the things many people are upset about is this war took place without consultation of the Congress, without debate within the Congress. Look, everybody understands Qaddafi is a thug and murderer. We want to see him go, but i think in the midst of two wars, I'm not quite sure we need a third war, and I hope the president tells us that our troops will be leaving there, that our military action in Libya will be ending very, very shortly."

As for whether or not Sanders will support or, perhaps, author a resolution on the war, under the War Powers Act, Sanders said, simply, "We'll see."