This won’t fly, so it is likely done strictly as a p.r. piece. This is why (my comments after):
“The War Powers Resolution of 1973 (50 U.S.C. 1541-1548) is a federal law intended to check the power of the President in committing the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of Congress.
“The resolution was adopted in the form of a United States Congress joint resolution; this provides that the President can send U.S. armed forces into action abroad only by authorization of Congress or in case of “a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.”
“The War Powers Resolution requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30 day withdrawal period, without an authorization of the use of military force or a declaration of war. The resolution was passed by two-thirds of Congress, overriding a presidential veto.
“The War Powers Resolution was disregarded by President Clinton in 1999, during the bombing campaign in Kosovo, and again by President Obama in 2011, when he did not seek congressional approval for attack on Libya, arguing that the Resolution did not apply to that action. ALL presidents since 1973 have declared their belief that the act is unconstitutional.”
The bottom line is that, since the very founding of the United States, the presidency has been on a trajectory of becoming an “imperial presidency”.
Presidents, the congress, and the Supreme Court have allowed this to happen, and it has reached the point where presidents are able to assume powers granted to the other two branches at will, utterly disregarding the constitutional checks and balances.
The rough timeline of some of the major events in this process:
1789 - George Washington uses 15,000 militia to suppress a “stupid tax” revolt during the Whiskey Rebellion, violating the constitution and establishing the supremacy of the federal government over the individual states and citizenry.
1803 - In the Marbury v. Madison decision, the SCOTUS asserts that it can declare federal laws unconstitutional. But when they try to order the president to obey their decision, he refuses. From this point the president is effectively above the law, though removal from office after impeachment is close to impossible.
1833 - South Carolina attempts to nullify federal tariffs by state law. Congress passes a ‘Force Bill’, authorizing president Andrew Jackson to use military force against the government and citizens of that state. He threatens to hang all government officials who voted for nullification, so they vote to rescind nullification.
1836 - Andrew Jackson destroys the Second Bank of the United States, then issues the ‘Specie Circular’ executive order, just before leaving office, which effectively wiped out the savings of many Americans, causing a terrible depression that lasts five years. Its intent was to “punish land speculators and bankers”, people of wealth that Jackson despised.
1861-1865 Abraham Lincoln invalidates much of the Bill of Rights during the Civil War; imposes the first direct federal tax on American citizens, the income tax; among many expansions of presidential power.
1865-1870 The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments further increase federal supremacy over the states, as well as making the federal government central to all government power in the US.
1890-1920 The Progressive Era diminishes the value of state citizenship, clearing the path for unhindered involvement by the federal government directly into the individual lives of citizens. It then proceeds to do so.
1933-1935 The National Recovery Administration effectively nationalized American agriculture and created (modeled on fascist economics) public-private partnerships of many industries.
1936 President Franklin Roosevelt declares the commerce clause of the constitution to be an overriding principle of federal economic control over all aspects of the US economy.
From this point, virtually every US president has in some way increased the power of the office of the presidency, until under most circumstances they may function as a dictator. Among the most recent abuses are:
The Presidential Signing Statement - in which the president asserts how he *chooses* to interpret a law, what parts he will carry out, and what parts he will ignore.
Czars and recess appointments - no longer even trying to get unacceptable individuals approved by the us senate, just declaring them to have governmental power.
Subordinate dictatorial authority - cabinet officers and bureaucrats making extreme regulations outside of their authority.
Executive privilege - asserted in any circumstance that could embarrass the president, in flagrant contempt of congress.
Refusal by cabinet officers to carry out duties against presidential allies, while unfairly prosecuting presidential opponents.
Radical expansion of the number of federal police organizations (100+) and their authority, while granting police powers to non-police federal agencies.
Conservatives have been critical of Walter Jones in the past and rightly so, but he’s showing gonads that many other Republicans from safe districts don’t seem to have.
The republicans will show obama. They will stand in a corner and hold their breath till they turn blue. They will have obama crying for mercy in no time. grrrr
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IMPEACH BOLSHEVIK CHAIRMAN OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is Not repeat NOT an impeachment bill. It seeks to set ground work for repealing the War Powers Act under the guise of hamstringing BHO.In reality it will hamstring every President after.