Since the '50s, America has initiated a series of "police actions" and foreign wars - all without formal Congressional approval, as outlined in the Constitution. Not only is this a gross violation of our Constitution, it has led to several disastrous foreign engagements. by Alexander Massa
(libertarian)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
War. It usually comes with a declaration, right? Well, that's how it's supposed to be, at least. But hey, why go along with all those frivolous formalities; they only waste time...right? Wrong. Ever since Korea, we've let our Presidents get away with going to war overseas without formal declarations of war, something that violates our Constitution - as well as the unspoken laws of common sense.
Bypassing the Constitution and going to war without technically going to war creates innumerable problems, not the least of which is the fact that going to war so haphazardly and giving the executive so much power can create disastrous consequences, such as wars based not on national security, but on political opportunism and even personal reasons, God forbid.
Putting the lives of American servicemen in the hands of one singular figure reeks of dictatorship, something that is altogether foreign to Americans. And although it is true that the President is the Commander-in-Chief, he does not have absolute authority in the realm of war and peace. Would it not be more in line with American and constitutional principles to have war powers completely vested in the Congress, and not grant the executive the right to deploy troops overseas without legislative approval? Let's stop giving our Presidents Congressional "authoriziations of force" and vague bills that are similar to, but not the same as, declarations of war. Let's make this real easy: no declaration of war, no overseas military deployments. It's that simple.
Returning to Constitutional principles will put America back on track for the twenty-first century, and will most certainly cut down on unneccesary bloodshed. And while many modern (neo)"conservatives" will decry that last sentence as false - because in their minds, almost all wars are not only necessary, but just and glorious - let it be known that in the past, it was the conservatives and libertarians that were anti-war. We have not been, at least historically, a bellicose and belligerent political movement known for starting foreign wars. That legacy belongs entirely to the Wilsonian wing of the left, which is the grandfather of the modern neo"conservative" movement (in parentheses because it is in no way conservative; it is simply a war-like version of welfare statism - FDR-esque policies masquerading as conservative).
While some of it can be chalked up to timing and coincidence (but certainly not all of it!), it is an undeniable fact that all the major American wars of the twentieth century - WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam - were started or escalated by progressive Democrats; Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman, and Johnson, respectively. Not Republicans, conservatives, or libertarians. Keep that in mind.
If the American federal government actually returned to the Constitution we could herald in a new age - a new century of peace and prosperity (not the jingoistic and oppressive imperialistic version promoted by the now defunct Project for a New American Century), in stark contrast to the preceeding centuries of death and decay. So why not give it a chance? After all, has strictly following the Constitution ever put America in a bad position? No, never. Only deviating from the wisdom of our Founding Fathers has caused that, and the answer is not to err further, but rather to return to the Constitution, which is the framework for our federal republic.
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