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To: exodus; Darkdrake
That's not quite true. Jefferson did get an "authorization" similar to the Iraq resolution. The difference is in how these resolutions were understood by the Presidents to whom they were directed. Jefferson, and the other presidents of the period, understood an "authorization" to be merely a diplomatic way of saying "directive" to go to war, and acted accordingly. When the authorization was passed, hostilities commenced.

President Bush, on the other hand (along with the other presidents of the modern period), have looked upon congressional authorizations as bank checks, to be cashed or not, depending on when and whether they felt like it. This is what makes it a perversion of what the Founders explicitly intended. As you correctly pointed out earlier, it unconstitutionally delegates to the President the decision of war and peace.

As for the thing about Hamilton, that was in reference to an incident that occurred prior to the congressional resolution, when American naval vessels captured a Barbary vessel, then released it on Jefferson's orders, citing the lack of official hostilities. Hamilton castigated him for that, saying that the immediate situation called for keeping the vessel in captivity.

120 posted on 03/01/2003 9:28:07 PM PST by inquest
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To: inquest; Texasforever

As for the thing about Hamilton, that was in reference to an incident that occurred prior to the congressional resolution, when American naval vessels captured a Barbary vessel, then released it on Jefferson's orders, citing the lack of official hostilities. Hamilton castigated him for that, saying that the immediate situation called for keeping the vessel in captivity.
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I spent a lot of time on this once, disputing this very point with Texasforever on a different, but simular, situation. I'll use the short method, and just state that in my expert opinion, my opinion is the correct one. :))

127 posted on 03/01/2003 9:35:37 PM PST by exodus
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To: inquest
Was there a Congressional Declaration of War on the Barbary Pirates? ( Maybe not!)
147 posted on 03/01/2003 9:59:11 PM PST by Texasforever
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