Printable View
According to the Constitution, the power to declare war is expressly delegated to Congress only..... merely voting to transfer the formal declaration power to the President as Congress does nowadays is unconstitutional because the executive branch is not supposed to have that power to begin with.... Congress has to draft and approve a formal declaration of war, or else it's an undeclared war....Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild Cobra
Where does it say congress cannot delegate?Quote:
Originally Posted by Clipper Nation
Where does it say the declaration has to be a formal draft?
Where does it say the wards "declare war" must be used?
Please...Quote:
I mean, is there some specific form that must be signed?
What's the form number. I want to look it up.
I would like you to quote the constitutional passages that make the Iraqi war unconstitutional please.
The War Powers Clause of the Constitution:
Actual quote from the 2002 Iraq War resolution:Quote:
[Congress shall have Power...] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
Key words there - "as he (the President) determines to be necessary".... this leaves all the warmaking power to the President, when the Constitution clearly says it's up to Congress to declare and set the rules of every war....Quote:
The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to 1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and 2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.
The Founders were VERY clear that they wanted every war to be deliberated in Congress.... Thomas Jefferson called that clause "a check on the dog of war," James Madison wrote, "In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found, than in the clause which confides the question of war and peace to the legislature, and not to the executive department"....
We disagree.Quote:
Originally Posted by Clipper Nation
First of all, the [Congress shall have Power...] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; is not stated as an exclusive power. This power was traditionally the power of the Commander in Chief. There is the argument that this clause adds that power to the congress without removing it from the president. It clearly gives the power to congress, but does say it removes it from the traditional viewpoint.
Please.
Where does it say congress cannot delegate anyway? They do it all the time.
Jefferson's intent is not shared by all, and that idea didn't make it to the written form.
If you search, you can find even more quotes from the Founders saying the same thing: the War Powers Clause is important because it delegates war declaration power strictly to Congress, where it can be carefully debated instead of pushed through....
Considering you call yourself a libertarian, why on Earth would you be comfortable with one person having all the power when it comes to declaring and fighting a war?
I'm sorry, but the "strickly" interpretation never made it to the legal text. Even if I agree with that, congress did delegate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Clipper Nation
Did I say I was comfortable with it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Clipper Nation
Quote please.
How much clearer and stricter could it possibly get than "Congress shall have the power to declare war"? I don't think the Founders would have forgotten something as important as the executive branch also having that power if that's what they intended, tbh....Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild Cobra
And yes, Congress did delegate.... just because they did it doesn't mean it's constitutional....
The fact that you're so defensive about Congress unconstitutionally delegating the power to declare war to the executive branch implies that you're okay with the President having that much unilateral power, whether you'd like to admit it or not, B....Quote:
Did I say I was comfortable with it?
Let me put it to you another way: would you be okay with Congress voting to delegate their constitutional power to levy taxes to President Obama? Something tells me that in that scenario, you'd lose your mind at all the "socialist wealth redistribution" he'd certainly be doing, right? Congress giving up the power to declare war is no different than this scenario, tbh....
I just disagree with your interpretation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Clipper Nation
The people who wrote the document agree with my interpretation for the most part, so I'm pretty sure I'm right, tbh...Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild Cobra
It would not surprise me in the least if Obama lostb illinois. God bless