Original sentence: President Bush has maintained he acted within "legal authority derived from the constitution" and that Congress "granted [him] additional authority to use military force against al Qaeda".Transcript of Bush Press Conference (December 19)
Edited sentence: Arlen Specter and other moderate Republicans have decried the policy, making long-term analysis of the possibilities difficult.Charges of impeachment have been brought against presidents for seemingly lesser affairs, and while calls for President Bush's impeachment have been made by those on the far left since the beginning of his first administration, such charges can be expected to increase in frequency and force in coming weeks and months.However, with a Republican Congress and Senate, calls for impeachment seem unlikely, but moderates such as Sen.The president and his supporters will most likely argue that it is legal under the concept of war powers, a concept without clear legal boundaries under American law.This argument is problematic, since Senate Joint Resolution 23 (2001), which authorized the use of military force against al-Qaida, was framed explicitly as not being an act declaring war or authorizing war powers.While the illegality of this action has not been fully considered in all quarters, the level of protest is relatively light at this point