WH Briefs Congress on Libya

The Hill reports:

White House officials are briefing Congress Wednesday on U.S. operations in Libya face a tough sell to a skeptical audience.

A growing number of lawmakers in both parties have lashed out at the administration in recent days, questioning both the constitutionality of the intervention and the wisdom of staging another Middle Eastern offensive while the U.S. already is bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At least two members — one Democrat, one Republican — even accused President Obama of launching the military campaign while Congress was in recess so he would not have to get its assent.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen will address House and Senate lawmakers Wednesday afternoon in separate classified briefings designed to provide an operational update and quell congressional concerns.

Before the briefing, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) told The Hill, "I probably wouldn't have gone in in the first place."

McKeon said he wants to hear "what the end game looks like, how long will this go on, what are the costs, and plans for arming the rebels."

The briefings come two days after Obama delivered a nationally televised speech in which he sought to define his decision to intervene in Libya, which he said was based largely on humanitarian grounds because Moammar Gadhafi had threatened his country’s citizens with violence.