Letter to the Editor; President can act but congress won't declare war

Talking about war with Syria requires a brief walk down memory lane.

Under our Constitution, only Congress can declare war.

When did Congress last officially declare war?

The last time occurred during World War 2. Congress officially declared war against Japan on December 8, 1941 (after Pearl Harbor was attacked), on December 11, 1941, against Germany, and on June 4, 1942, against Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania. That’s it.

Did Congress declare war for these military actions? – Korea 1950, Vietnam 1964, Iran Hostage Rescue attempt 1980, Lebanon Intervention 1982, Grenada Invasion 1983, Tripoli raid 1986, Panama 1989, Desert Storm 1990, Somalia 1993, Haiti 1994, Bosnia 1995, Sudan 1998, Kosovo 1999, Afghanistan 2001, Iraq 2003, Libya Intervention 2011.

The answer is No. Congress made no declarations of war after World War Two.

Did Presidents Truman, Johnson, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama gain approval from Congress for any of these military efforts?

Only once did this happen in 16 military actions since World War Two. President Reagan gained Congressional approval (but not a declaration of war) for action in Lebanon, but not for Grenada or Tripoli.

Because of Vietnam, the War Powers Resolution (1973) was intended to stop presidents from fighting wars without input from Congress. Under this resolution, a president can begin military action but must receive approval from Congress to continue the operation within 60 days.

However, Presidents from both parties have regularly ignored the resolution, and Congress has gone along with it for 40 years.

Will Congress authorize war with Syria? Given history, no.

Can President Obama take military action against Syria? Under the War Powers Resolution passed by Congress, yes.

Recall Plato – “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

Duane Pitts

Moses Lake