Politics | Libya Obama Overruled Top Lawyers on Libya Office of Legal Counsel says he needs congressional approval By John Johnson Posted Jun 18, 2011 9:37 AM CDT Copied President Obama hosts military fathers and their children for a movie screening of 'Cars 2' earlier this week. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) John Boehner isn't the only one who thinks President Obama is overstepping his legal authority in Libya. The president overruled some of the administration's top lawyers when he decided to continue participating in the air war without congressional approval, reports Charlie Savage in the New York Times. The head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and the Pentagon general counsel told Obama that he needed approval under the War Powers Act. Obama ignored the advice, and the White House made its case earlier this week that the Libya actions do not qualify as "hostilities" as envisioned by the WPA, mainly because US troops are in a supporting role to NATO. The White House counsel and the State Department's legal adviser pushed for that view. Still, it is "extraordinarily rare" for a president to overrule the Office of Legal Counsel in these kinds of situations, writes Savage. We'll see how well it sits with Congress in the coming days. Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Report an error