Tom McMillin 2 mins · Instead of a sleepy issue that the administration could sit on for a while, Paul made a new AUMF a subject of debate—on libertarian terms.... Pauls version started 200-odd years earlier. Whereas President George Washington, who presided over the Constitutional Convention, lectured: The Constitution vests the power of declaring war with Congress. Therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they have deliberated upon the subject, and authorized such a measure.; Whereas James Madison, father of the Constitution, elaborated in a letter to Thomas Jefferson: The constitution supposes, what the History of all Governments demonstrates, that the Executive is the branch of power most interested in war, and most prone to it. It has accordingly with studied care vested the question of war in the Legislature.; Whereas James Madison wrote in his Letters of Helvidius: In this case, the constitution has decided what shall not be deemed an executive authority; though it may not have clearly decided in every case what shall be so deemed. The declaring of war is expressly made a legislative function. Unlike Kaine, Paul made no mention of specific ISIL threats against the continental United States. As hes said in many speeches, Paul saw ISIL as a clear and present danger to United States diplomatic facilities in the region. Also, as Peters first reported, Pauls version included a sunset provision to terminate the 2001, post-9/11 Authorization of Military Force against al-Qaeda and allies, on the date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this joint resolution. This was important. Last year, Paul told me that most of the War on Terrors over-reaches came from a very expansive understanding of the use of the Authorization of Force in 2001. He had been trying to get Congress to officially declare the Iraq war over, and finding very few takers. Same was true for repealing the 2001 AUMF. I think it would have absolutely no chance of going anywhere if I were to introduce it right now, he said.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 04:19:19 +0000
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