[eborys]

You know... those old dead white guys had some good ideas.

[1776thefounders]

The truth has no time span...it is eternal!

[FReethesheeples]

Always good to read & post James Madison, the author of the Constitution!

[FReethesheeples]

Always good to read & post James Madison, the author of the Constitution!

[FReethesheeples]

Always good to read & post James Madison, the author of the Constitution!

[FReethesheeples]

Always good to read & post James Madison, the author of the Constitution!

[BlueLancer]

All well-and-good ... I've always been a great fan of James Madison.

That being said, however, who was the President during the War of 1812?

Madison, you say? Hmmmmm.

[Marauder]

An "old white guy" that isn't dead yet - Ronald Reagan - was pretty smart, also:

"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."

[VoodooEconomist]

Let's hope the few warmongering FReepers take these words to heart.

[Gelato]

"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

This quote is on the necessity for a separation of the power to declare war; it is not a pacifist speech. War should not be enacted just for the sake of war, as the quote says.

Unfortunately, as we all know, this separation of powers has long since been eroded. The Executive has, over the years, gone outside the restrictions of the Constitution, and has essentially enacted war on his own, with no formal declaration. This is what Madison warned about.

The Founders were no pacifists. They believed in the right to self-defense. In fact, the Declaration of Independence says we not just have that right, we have the duty to defend our rights when they are threatened. The United States has been attacked. The rights of all citizens, and the peace of this country, are in danger. Defensive military action, on a large scale, is entirely appropriate in this case.