Teeth-gnashing Democrats have been whining and hitting CNN at every opportunity to criticize Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran that took out virtually their entire command structure, saying that the mission is illegal and demanding that it stop until Congress can vote on authorizing it.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), however, had some fresh reminders that such operations are nothing new, and in fact, the Dems’ idol, former President Barack Obama, helped bring down Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, and Thomas Jefferson sent the U.S. Navy and Marines to the Mediterranean to take on the Barbary pirates in 1801.
The Constitution gives the power to Trump to do what he did, Cotton said:
.@SenTomCotton: President Trump has the inherent power under our Constitution and as Commander-in-Chief to use military force to keep our nation safe...Obama toppled Gaddafi in Libya 15 years ago without a vote of Congress...the difference is that @POTUS is attacking a 47-year,… pic.twitter.com/wUi8KLspho
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 2, 2026
Cotton:
President Trump has the inherent power under our Constitution, and as a commander in chief, to use military force to keep our nation safe. In this case, from the vast missile arsenal that Iran has and was expanding much bigger than our missile defenses.
Then, he gave the Democrats a history lesson:
We've had presidents conduct this kind of operations, going back to the beginning of our republic. For that matter, conduct them in the Middle East — Thomas Jefferson struck the Barbary Pirates just off the coast of Libya more than 200 years ago, without a vote in Congress.
And speaking of Libya, Barack Obama toppled Muammar Gaddafi in Libya 15 years ago without a vote of Congress, even though he was a de facto American ally by that point.
The difference is that President Trump is attacking a 47-year implacable enemy.
In the early 1800s, the Barbary pirates, Muslim state‑sanctioned corsairs, had a nasty habit of seizing ships and enslaving the crews unless they were paid off. Then, President Thomas Jefferson decided it was time to show them who was who:
A demand from the pasha of Tripoli for greater tribute and his dramatic declaration of war on the United States (May 14, 1801) coincided with a decision by U.S. Pres. Thomas Jefferson’s administration to demonstrate American resolve. Despite his opposition to the expense of maintaining a navy, Jefferson dispatched an American naval squadron to Tripolitan waters. By means of a special “Mediterranean Fund,” the navy—which had been partially dismantled and was perhaps nearing extinction—actually increased in size.
Jefferson did eventually get congressional approval, but after he’d already sent forces to the region.
The First Barbary War then lasted until a peace treaty with terms favorable to the United States was negotiated in 1805, cementing our status as a powerful nation not to be trifled with.
The U.S., under Jefferson’s command, sent its fledgling Navy and Marines into action—the first overseas military deployment in American history.
— History Nerd (@_HistoryNerd) December 30, 2024
In 1805, a daring plan emerged to strike the heart of the Barbary States. pic.twitter.com/3RFH6DRNZT
Meanwhile, hundreds of years later, former President Barack Obama took action of his own, authorizing operations in Libya, which contributed to the downfall of Gaddafi:
The 2011 military intervention in Libya occurred during the Arab Spring uprisings and challenged the four-decade rule of Muammar Gaddafi. Executed under President Barack Obama, the intervention involved deploying United States military assets. It marked a significant foreign policy moment, demonstrating a willingness to use force on humanitarian grounds. The conflict quickly escalated from a civil uprising to an international military campaign.
Obama notably did not seek congressional approval for the operations.
The battle over when it’s required to seek congressional approval will continue, but presidents sometimes need to act fast and would put our security at risk if their hands were tied during an emergency.
Just ask Barack Obama.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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