in Government, International Situations, War 349 Words

The Vote That Had No Chance

For months I have writing that the Congress needs to get off their butts and do something about the AUMF….that we have enough wars already and need to start voting on the use of military force.

Congresspeople like Gabbard and Sanders and few others have tried in the past but have come up short….then this session Rep. Lee offered up the proposal yet again……and it has a chance…..don’t that beat all?

No one was more surprised than Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) on Thursday when her language revoking the administration’s war authority was unexpectedly backed by Republicans and added to a must-pass defense spending bill.

Lee for years has attempted to shutter the law passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but this week’s backing reflects shifting politics and unusual bipartisan support.

Source: Surprise war vote points to shift in GOP | TheHill

In the past it has been few Dems that offered up the bill…..but this time even the GOP got in on the deal…..

If successful then Congress will take back its power……..

The war in Afghanistan — the longest sustained military conflict in American history — could soon come to an end. So could any number of “humanitarian interventions,” “kinetic military actions,” “surgical strikes,” or any other euphemisms for war that the U.S. has relied upon for the past 16 years. And it could happen because one congresswoman who saw through the fog of fear and rage in the days after the 9/11 attacks — and presciently warned of the dangers of handing a blank check to the executive branch to wage war against an amorphous stateless enemy — was able to convince her colleagues that it was well past time for Congress to do its job with regard to sending our service men and women into battle.

Source: Is Congress finally going to take back its power to declare war?

I may have found a new respect for Congress and restored my faith in the Repubs.

It is about time for Congress has relinquished its duties for far too long…..now get to work.

5 thoughts on “The Vote That Had No Chance”

  1. Congress should never have relinquished their power to declare war and they should have never allowed their power to be diluted or designated. The Congress should be the only ones authorized to issue a declaration of war and no Military resources should ever be engaged without a Congressional edict. That is how it was before and that is how it should be now. The Military/Industrial bunch is going to soil their pants if the Congress becomes the only war-authorizing power again but so what? If war has become nothing more than a profit motive then it cheapens the sacrifices being made by our brave young Military Souls and it is definitely beneath the dignity and honor of a nation as great and moral as our own. Yes, I definitely agree — Make the Congress the final word in a declaration of war anywhere and for any reason. It only takes a minute for a President to stand on a platform before the Congress and request such actions and the only exception I would make to the rule is that if the missiles or the bombs are falling on The United States or Her allies then we need to have the ability to respond in seconds rather than waiting for a move of the Congress. But I am sure somebody can work that problem out satisfactorily. But these little brushfires and these endless lost causes that we are fighting around the world for people who don’t even like us have to stop and they have to stop now before they bankrupt the country and deplete our resources to the point where we cannot defend the homeland should it become necessary to do so.

    Reply

    1. I agree…9/11 was used to side step their duty….time for them to use the Constitution the way it was written….chuq

      Reply

    1. Maybe so but at least the bill is a good attempt….and the GOP is on-board which surprised the Hell oughta me….chuq

      Reply

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