[Sopater]

Congress has unconstitutionally relinquished it's power to declare war so that members can claim support for a war that is popularly favorable, and blame the president for wars that are not.

It is criminal cowardice.

[Sopater]

Federalist ping?

[WayneS]

“[t]he distance of the United States from the powerful nations of the world”—the Atlantic oceanic moat—would provide a first line of defense.

The game changed forever once that stopped being the case. Once steam replaced sails, the "distance" between the United States and its potential enemies became much shorter, and subsequent advances in means and speed of travel have made it progressively shorter.

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping. OUTSTANDING post, Sopater. Thanks.

History/education/republic BUMP!

[mrsmith]

Been looking for a good Madison book to read.

Madison’s scheme worked until WW@- that’s outstanding effectiveness.
Since then we use the Founders’ guide from the undeclared Barbary, French and Indian wars.

The most remarkable abuse of congress’s power was shown in Bush’s Iraq war when the Democrat Congress supported an unpopular war- on condition of huge payment of welfare to its constituencies.

[x]

I have long believed two things about constitutional war powers, which my reading of Noah Feldman’s “The Three Lives of James Madison” largely confirmed. First, James Madison was brilliant and prescient about many things, but the strategy and politics of war were not among them.

Wherever did you get that idea?