Finally a senator with some common sense. This war should never have been started.
Congress gave themsleves an unconstitutional “out” when they passed the War Powers Act in 1973. They did so to limit the Presdient’s ability to commit troops for more than 60 days without their approval. The fact is that Congress already had that ability; its called the “power of the purse”. They can end ANY conflict by withdrawing the funding, but because they don’t want to deal with the political fallout of defunding “the troops”, Congress takes the easy way out. Its all about “checks and balances” and Congress’ “check” was their control of the money. Period!
Therefore, we [Free Republic] wholeheartedly support the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive strikes on known terrorist states and organizations that are believed to present a clear threat to our freedom or national security.
Statement by the founder of Free Republic
"We fight them [Islamofacists] over there so we don't have to fight them over here" sounds like a winning strategy to me.
This one was highly avoidable. For the record I am not antiwar. My R.O.E's would get me labeled a barbarian in here by some who were pro-Iraqi war. Not one 911 terrorist was Iraqi if I remember right. But Saddam did need too be taken out and there was other Constitutional ways to do it cheaper, likely faster, and would not have involved deploying troops. It's called letters of marque and/or reprisals.
War is indeed the most serious act congress can authorize and it should never be taken lightly nor should it be bypassed in the manners it has since Korea. NEVER should a member of the Armed Forces be asked to shed blood in combat without a formal declaration of war or letter of marque or reprisal being issued. The authorization was U.N. resolution enforcement crap. WE declared war on Germany and Japan as well with about two simple paragraphs. Look at the authorization of force in Iraq. It's pages of CRAP!
Some it seems do not understand what war is for and how it is too be fought. I'll give you a clue you don't fight it in the limited tieing our troops hands behind their back manner we did in Korea, Nam, and Iraq. You go to war with troops hands free. You do not second guess mens actions in combat when it comes to where they shoot unless it is at their own troops. War should always be for the elimination of a stated threat done with extreme prejudice.
The policy of going to war too rebuild nations needs to be ended. It is morally wrong. I remind Bush backers Bush himself condemned nation building Clinton did. You go to war too destroy infrastructure and kill people. There are no innocents in an enemy nation. That is immoral some might say? No it's not and some need too read Joshua and get GOD's plan for war.
We had good soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines being Court Martialed over their actions under fire in Iraq while Bush and his useless McNamara the second Sec of Defense Rummy did nothing. They didn't support our troops so why would congress? Congress {Murtha for example} was calling for our troops heads and ZILCH from Secof DEF or POTUS in desfense of the troops in combat. COWARDS!!!! They owed it too the troops to stand up for them. War is not for making buddies richer. If that is the case that this is the purpose for war then Smedley Butler was right.
The war in Iraq should have been declared and media kept home. It should have left all infrastructure including communications, bridges, buildings, power generation facilities, and defense facilities in smoldering ruins. Anything Iraq could have used to produce weapons destroyed and our troops upon completion of that goal called back home for a victory celebration. But anyone with minimal military knowledge could tell by the third night of bombing that this was going to be just what it become. A nation building boondoggle and now Iraq is armed much better than it was when Saddam was alive. We have idiots for leaders. We never should have re-armed Iraq.
You don't build them new roads, bridges, power plants, schools, hospitals, etc nor do you ask a United States Member of the Armed Forces too do such as that is not their job. Their job is too kill and destroy the enemy and protect our nation.
I was against the war in Iraq because no war was formerly declared by congress to obligate congress too it's military conclusion. The results? The same as Nam and Korea. Why should we expect different?
It also amazes me that places we had every right to declare war against we didn't like Yemen and Somalia. We got into this terrorism mess thanks to an E.O. penned by Gerald Ford which in effect ended Letters of Marque and Reprisals as a means to address foreign threats. Ford stopped covert assassinations of foreign heads of state. From that time forward terrorism took hold. Heads of state knew they were safe and hell was unleashed afterward in the Middle East and Med Sea Basin starting with the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
I support our troops 100% unconditionally. Does even our Republicans these days? Cuts continued through the Bush terms despite a two house GOP majority. Not that DEMs are better they aren't but the GOP has become one with the DEMs on foreign policy and our military.
National Defense is the number one function of government and they can't even manage it correctly. Yet because someones idol POTUS sits in the Oval Office persons on both sides are willing to give their parties POTUS Carte Blanche privileges with regards too sending troops into harms way. History will not judge any POTUS from Bush Sr through present kind.