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But previously, war meant some clear and present enemy like "Japan" or "Germany". Now the president has been given almost carte blanche access to fight a war o
by scotch_drinker 13y ago
But previously, war meant some clear and present enemy like "Japan" or "Germany". Now the president has been given almost carte blanche access to fight a war on "Terror", a term so nebulous as to allow the president the right to do whatever he wants including spy on American citizens. While it's true Congress gave the president the ability to fight a War on Terror (or drugs or unicorns or whatever), it's the Congress who should be reining in that power when it gets out of hand. Instead they sit around and collect their checks.
I'm not as worried about an "official declaration of war" since the Constitution isn't clear on that need. I do wish Congress would grow a set of balls and do what's necessary to rein in presidential power regarding a ridiculous war on something we can't even see, much less defeat.
- rayiner 13y agoDuring the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Congress authorized the use of force against the Iraqi government, and Al Qaeda and agents of Al Qaeda. I don't see how the latter is any more nebulous than Congress's authorization of force against the Barbary pirates in 1801.
- scotch_drinker 13y agoI'm not talking about those wars. I'm talking about the War On Terror which was the genesis for spying on Americans. We don't have a war on Al Qaeda, we have a war on Terror. It doesn't get anymore nebulous than that. Neither Bush nor Obama would stand before the American People and say that the authorization of force in Iraq justified a sweeping surveillance program that includes American citizens. But the War on Terror enables them to do exactly that because of its murkiness. I don't blame either Bush or Obama for taking advantage of the power vacuum left by Congress in the War on Terror. I just wish Congress would take some of that power back.