What other powers besides the war powers act did Obama exceed during the attack on Libya?

Answer 1

First, while some on both the left and the right believed the president exceeded the War Powers Act, others disagreed, and no consensus was ever reached. In 2011, the United States worked with NATO to help depose the Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. President Obama told congress that since there were no American troops on the ground in Libya and since America's role there was limited (it was a NATO mission, not a US mission), it was not a violation of the War Powers Act. It should be noted that similar questions were raised about President Bush, who was also accused of violating the War Powers Act, as was President Clinton before him.

It should also be noted that while criticism of the president was strongest on conservative Talk Shows, many Republicans in congress were muted in their criticism of President Obama, since nearly everyone in both parties agreed that Qaddafi needed to be deposed. That said, it does appear that Mr. Obama found a way to sidestep the War Powers Act, but it was the same way that other presidents also did-- by claiming the United States was not directly engaged in a war, and was mainly providing intelligence and support but not "boots on the ground."