Reid Backs Obama on Libya: 'This Thing Will Be Over Before We Know it'

NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW -- June 17, 2011 at 5:15 PM EDT

Reid Backs Obama on Libya: 'This Thing Will Be Over Before We Know it'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Friday stood by President Obama's assertion that the War Powers Act does not apply to the American mission in Libya and thus, does not need congressional approval.

"This thing will be over before we know it," Reid predicted in an interview with Jim Lehrer, which airs in full on Friday's NewsHour broadcast.

Reid's take on the War Powers Act aligns with the White House and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, but some rifts within the Democratic caucus have come to light this week.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No.2 Democrat in the Senate behind Reid, said Friday that "Congress alone has the constitutional authority and responsibility to declare war."

Reid told Lehrer that he was not sure whether a vote would occur in the Senate over authorization of the Libya mission.

On the issue of the impending American troop drawdown in Afghanistan, Reid said he is confident that the drawdown would be substantial.

Watch the full interview.

Beginning October 24, 2012, PBS NewsHour will allow open commenting for all registered users. We hope that the elimination of our moderation process will enable a more organic discussion amongst you, our audience. However, if a commenter violates our terms of use or abuses the commenting forum, their comment will be removed. We reserve the right to remove posts that do not follow these basic guidelines: comments must be relevant to the topic of the post; may not include profanity, personal attacks or hate speech; may not promote a business or raise money; may not be spam. Anything you post should be your own work. The PBS NewsHour reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its website or in any medium now known or unknown the comments or emails that we receive. By submitting comments, you agree to the PBS Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which include more details.