Via TPMmuckraker:

“Is it the position of this administration that it possesses the authority to take unilateral action against Iran, in the absence of a direct threat, without congressional approval?” Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) asked Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice during a Senate hearing January 11th. He's still waiting for an answer.

The written response, sent to Webb from one of Rice's assistant secretaries last week, "didn't adequately answer the specific question," according to Webb's spokeswoman, Jessica Smith. "It wasn't a form letter," she said, but it "was not responsive to the question."

Senator Webb was on Hardball with Chris Matthews this evening. You can view the video to the right and the transcript is available here.

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about Iran, because a lot of people, me included, wonder whether this administration might get us involved in a second war in that part of the world—the Mideast—in other words, get into a war with Iran. Does the president have the constitutional authority to go to war with Iran without checking with your branch of government?

WEBB: I don‘t believe he does, and there are two situations with respect to Iran. The first is, as I said yesterday on the issue of Iraq and how to move forward—the great frustration that I have is that we don‘t even have half a strategy here.

We have a continuing military policy—every time there is an escalation of the violence inside Iraq, but we have not had an aggressive diplomatic offensive by this administration that matches the quality of our military performance and that would embrace these countries in the region in a way that we can get a diplomatic solution.

You‘re not going to do that unless we go to Syria and Iran, as many people have said. Now, with respect to the administration and Iran specifically, I asked Secretary of State Rice, last month in a hearing—I read the presidential finding on the—on the resolution of ‘02 which basically said from this administration that they believe they have a lot of requisite authority, and possibly including Iran.

I asked her to clarify that. I have not received a clarification and I‘m considering putting a resolution in that basically says that no previous resolutions, no previous law empowers this administration...

MATTHEWS: Wow.

WEBB: ... to unilaterally go into Iran.

In the wake of his State of the Union response, Senator Jim Webb appeared on Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer.

He said the new majority is demanding a comprehensive strategy that will work.

"One thing that I've seen over and over again here is that, when things go wrong, they go to the American military," Webb said, "that when all else fails, we decide we're going to throw more military people in, rather than trying to go into the political solutions, which are going to be the way that this is going to be resolved."

For more, please visit Face the Nation

OLBERMANN: In the wake of the vote by the Foreign Relations Committee, we're joined by one of its members, Senator James Webb of Virginia, who, of course, gave the Democratic response to the president's State of the Union last night. Senator, great thanks for some of your time today.

WEBB: Yes, I appreciate your inviting me.

OLBERMANN: Are you gratified, encouraged, amazed, what would the word be, that a Republican senator such as Mr. Hagel is willing to go to such lengths to try to get his colleagues to take a stand similar to your own on this war?