Boehner: House To Vote On Two Libya Resolutions

House Speaker John Boehner re-scheduled votes on the U.S. role in Libya for tomorrow, a sign he is confident he can defeat a measure sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich that would essentially end the war immediately for the U.S.

Now the plan calls for two measures to be voted on in the House:

-One written by Boehner (R-Ohio) that slaps President Obama on the wrist for not consulting Congress before he ordered U.S. forces into action in Libya, but sets no deadline for an end to the military action;

-And a second resolution (the original one) sponsored by Kucinich (D-Ohio) that says Obama violated the war Powers Act and must withdraw forces from Libya within 15 days.

"The Kucinich measure would have long-term consequences that are unacceptable, including a precipitous withdrawal from our role supporting our NATO allies in Libya--which could have serious consequences for our broader national security," Boehner said in a statement.

Boehner postponed a vote yesterday on the Kucinich resolution after it became clear that anti-war Democrats and fiscally conservative Republicans were forming an alliance that threatened to pass  the measure. It had the White House sweating.

The Speaker's watered-down measure is intended to placate the angry Republicans and woo centrist Democrats away from the Kucinich resolution.

"We have now been involved in a war on Libya for over 72 days with no constitutionally required authorization for the use of military force or declaration of war," Kucinich wrote today to his fellow lawmakers.

"The President recently submitted a letter to Congress about the war in Libya arguing that he was not required to come to Congress for authorization because the war is not really a war. Really," Kucinich added.