The President Doesn?t Need Approval to Attack Syria?So Long as He?s a Republican

{.....}Yeah, well . . . no. That?s not right. As a lawyer for the Obama administration wrote in an analysis presented to the president:

Quote:The text, structure and history of the Constitution establish that the Founders entrusted the President with the primary responsibility, and therefore the power, to use military force in situations of emergency?. These powers give the President broad constitutional authority to use military force in response to threats to the national security and foreign policy of the United States?. By their terms, these provisions vest full control of the military forces of the United States in the President. The power of the President is at its zenith under the Constitution when the President is directing military operations of the armed forces, because the power of Commander in Chief is assigned solely to the President.

I know what some of you are going to say?in fact, you may have already started typing out the comment: Of course someone in the Obama administration wrote that! They?re just creating a justification to let Obama do whatever he wants! Tyranny! Thug! Authoritarian despot!

To which I will reply: I lied. No one in the Obama White House?at least as far as I know?has ever written such a thing. But those words were presented to a president?and he was named George W. Bush. This was an analysis prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel of the Justice Department?the primary adviser for all legal issues in the Executive Branch?about the boundaries of presidential authority in situations calling for military action. Point is, before suggesting a Democrat could be impeached for dispatching the military without congressional approval, perhaps it?s a good idea to review the standards that Republicans think apply when they are in power.

The analysis for George W.?from September 25, 2001?is clear not only about the fact that a president can order a military attack without congressional approval but about the fact that it wouldn?t even be unusual to do so. For example, did you know that, by 2001, presidents have commenced 125 military actions without getting an O.K. from Congress? And the first president to do so was a fellow named George Washington? {.....}

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/eichenw...republican

"Understand that the more deeply you hold your ideals,
the more you are morally obligated to be pragmatic...Idealism without pragmatism
is just a way to flatter your ego." -Barney Frank

Source: http://democratsforprogress.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=23442

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