Don't bat an eye, it's just war

In his article, The Nation: In Libya, US Forgot About Congress, John Nichols’s states that we are not following the rules that were set out by the Constitution. The Constitution requires that congress declare war and not solely the president yet he points out that presidents have been declaring war since World War II. This includes our current president, Barack Obama who has gone to war without the checks & balances originally outlined by the Framers. I feel Mr. Nichols’s article was intended for an audience who is unclear as to what we, the United States, are doing in this “war” or how to interpret what they are feeling toward our country as a result of it.

I interpret that he is looking for answers and reasons to justify or condemn our plan to attack Libya. He illustrates that Gaddafi is a man of ill repute, with “palpable disdain he has expressed for the legitimate aspirations of his own people,” leaving him without any allies. Is that enough to take action and start a war? Mr. Nichols’s reaction to this is to draw our attention to the fact that this war has never been declared or even discussed in Congress.

In regards to the author’s reputation, Gore Vidal has said, "Of all the giant slayers now afoot in the great American desert, John Nichols’s sword is the sharpest." He is political correspondent for The Nation and is author of more than 7 books relating to Journalism and Democracy. Thus, I feel he is well versed and educated in speaking about our international politics.

Mr. Nichols’s makes his claim quite clear by saying, “Of all the checks and balances outlined in the constitution, none is more significant than the power to declare war.” Mr. Nichol’s’ feels any president who fails to consult congress is doing wrong by our constitution and our republic. His logic is that without the debate or discussion of going to war we are ignoring the system in which we so apparently swear by.

I agree. If we are not even going to play the game that was designed to be played, what are we doing? Why vote on matters that utlimatly can be ignored or unchecked? This is not a Obama issue, nor was it a Bush or even Truman issue, what I think Mr. Nichols’s was trying to say is that we are losing a grip on what the country was originally set up to be. I would like leaders to follow the rules, but they don’t. President Obama, along with The United Nations went hand in hand bombing Libya without even batting an eye toward congress.

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/21/134730963/the-nation-in-libya-us-forgot-about-congress