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From: torek@umich.UUCP (Paul V. Torek )
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.legal
Subject: Re: Making War
Message-ID: <524@umich.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Mar-86 17:11:24 EST
Article-I.D.: umich.524
Posted: Wed Mar 19 17:11:24 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Mar-86 18:11:08 EST
References: <1753@decwrl.DEC.COM> <106@cad.UUCP>
Reply-To: torek@umich.UUCP (Paul V. Torek )
Organization: University of Michigan, EECS Dept., Ann Arbor, MI
Lines: 19
Xref: lsuc net.politics:3782 net.legal:1950
Summary: 

In article <106@cad.UUCP> hijab@cad.UUCP (Raif Hijab) writes:
>If the president could make war as s/he saw fit, then the power of the
>congress to "declare" war would be an empty one.  [...] My
>guess is that the war making powers given to the president were intended
>for emergencies where the president had to act in the interim period 
>required for the congress to convene and deliberate. On the outside this
>should be thought of as a period of days.

I doubt that the intended Presidential powers are even that much.  Rather,
the division of labor with regard to war (Congress declares it, the
President administers its execution) is plausibly viewed as a simple and
direct extension of the principle that Congress is to make policy and
the Adminstration is to execute it.

Congress has been all to wimpy about reclaiming its rightful authority in
matters of war and peace.  It should start in spirit by denying aid to the
eminently undeserving Contras.

--Paul Torek							torek@umich