"Where in the Constitution does it say the president has the authority to declare war? The last time I read it, it said that Congress shall declare war."
And to authorize letters of marque and reprisal and to authrorize the use of military force. You DO NOT need a declaration of war for the President to use military force. The third-largest war fought by this nation -- the American Civil War -- was fought without a declaration of war. Of the 176 times that the United States has used force -- including such things as the Quasi-War with France through the Gulf War, only five declarations of war have been passed by Congress.
The President's actions were authorized by two "use of force" resolutions, including one specifically authorizing the President to use force against Iraq. That was constitutional -- and something for which Congress has "Constitutional authority." It may not be adquate Constitutional authority for those orbiting the planet Nimrod, but it has been accepted as law from the ratification of the Constitution forward.
If Paul does not like that there are Constitutional tools that are available to him. They can recind the use of force resolution through an act of Congress. They can defund the war. But there is NO - nada, nichts -- "Constitutional authority" for Congress to play Commander-in-Chief. The way that Constitutional Authority Only Paul chose to go.
And the last Representative that "did not want it [my vote] anyway was John Bryan. He told me that to my face. I said fine -- and then rolled up my sleeves to see that he was replaced. It took two tries, but we replaced him with Pete Sessions.