Posted on 09/13/2001 7:24:14 AM PDT by sendtoscott
"Of all the enemies to liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people.. The Constitution expressly and exclusively vests in the Legislature the power of declaring a state of war [and] the power of raising armies... A delegation of such powers [to the president] would have struck, not only at the fabric of our Constitution, but at the foundation of all well organized and well checked governments. The separation of the power of declaring war from that of conducting it, is wisely contrived to exclude the danger of its being declared for the sake of its being conducted."
--James Madison
That being said, however, who was the President during the War of 1812?
Madison, you say? Hmmmmm.
"What seems to have been lost in all this debate is the simple truth of how a defense budget is arrived at.
It isn't done by deciding to spend a certain number of dollars. We start by considering what must be done to maintain peace and review all the possible threats against our security. Then a strategy for strengthening peace and defending against those threats must be agreed upon. And, finally, our defense establishment must be evaluated to see what is necessary to protect against any or all of the potential threats.
The cost of achieving these ends is totaled up, and the result is the budget for national defense.
Since the dawn of the atomic age, we've sought to reduce the risk of war by maintaining a strong deterrent and by seeking genuine arms control. 'Deterrence' means simply this: making sure any adversary who thinks about attacking the United States, or our allies, or our vital interests, concludes that the risks to him outweigh any potential gains. Once he understands that, he won't attack.
We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression."
And we got what we wanted there, didn't we? (End to British support of Native Americans, end to real resistance to Manifest Destiny and westward expansion).
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