WASHINGTON (Map, News) - In my opinion, the War Powers Resolution enacted in 1973 has failed to re-create balance in our system. I share the view of many legal scholars that the resolution’s design is contrary to the intent of the Constitution in that it concedes that presidents may initiate a war without prior congressional approval.

The resolution has produced perversions in internal executive branch decision-making; and in recent years it has been largely ignored. Furthermore, its consultations provision has been easily avoided because Congress has failed to organize itself in such a way as to make consultations unavoidable, secure and meaningful. …

 It is more important than ever that presidents seek the confidential advice and counsel of senior members of Congress, and that Congress establish for itself a capacity to ask tough questions behind closed doors even before a president has decided on an option. “What would we do if…?” and “What are the alternatives…?” are questions infrequently asked by Congress, but when they are, they invariably introduce new factors, both political and substantive, that the executive must consider. … Congress needs to institutionalize its capacity to provide advice and counsel and it should trust its most senior members to represent the interests of the entire body. If they succumb to the appeal of the executive, perhaps, just perhaps, they will be acting in the national interest. …

A well-crafted law that requires prior congressional authority before we go to war, except in specified emergencies, and an institutional arrangement that makes consultation unavoidable, secure and meaningful, will assure the participation of both branches of government in the most fateful decision we can make as a nation. …

hhh.umn.edu/news/headlines/headlines2008/warpowers.html

Comments from Examiner Readers

2:54 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 17, 2008 re: "Douglas Elmendorf: Tackling the mortgage mess"

Examiner Reader said:
The notion that deadbeats should get renters' tax money because "homeownership encourages responsible citizenship' is insane. My decision not to enter the real-estate market the last five years was based on responsible citizenship. The people who bought with no money down and interest-only loans are not, and never will be, responsible. "Homeownership' is not a virtue. It's elitist to say so. And untrue. In SF, the Bayview has one of the highest levels of owner-occupied properties, and it's a cesspool of violence.

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7:31 AM MST on Wed., Jan. 2, 2008 re: "Jordan Ballor: Tithing is about giving, not getting"

BennyFactor said:
As Christians really study the new Covenant and early Christian history, we find that tithing was required onlty in the old Covenant, where Priests were solely responsible for interceding and praying to God on behalf of all Jews. Priests were required to share excess tithes with the poor and were forbidden from any and all ownership. But, in the new Covenant we have Jesus to replace the priests and we can talk to Him ourselves. This is why institutional tithing was not practiced for the first 800 years of Christianity. Now, and particularly in America, church is just another capitolist (worldly) entity and callings have morphed into careerism, requiring salary and benefits, but no taxes or accountability. Likee the drug trade, the only way to save the church from careerist leaders is to take the Prophet motive out of it, teach the truth that soliciting tithes is out of Christian order. Then we will cease to attract church leaders in need of worldly self-enrichment and ego-stroking.

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12:25 AM MST on Thu., Dec. 6, 2007 re: "Independent Institute: Blame political parties, not the voters, for bad leaders"

Examiner Reader said:
No License if you dont vote... End of story

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3:19 PM MST on Wed., Nov. 28, 2007 re: "The Hoover Institution: No Child Left Behind�s unpredictable future"

Examiner Reader said:
NCLB was doomed from the beginning. Education in the 1950's was completely dummed down to accomodate the desegregation of the public schools and to make sure the black students were not overwhelmed by the white schools' advanced curriculums. What should have occurred at that time was to start integrating the schools beginning with Kindergarten. The old reliable method of teaching would have continued thus at the end of the senior year of high school, the diploma would represent a real 12 year education instead of a high school diploma in this day and age only representing the equivalent of a sixth grade education at the most. Compared to today's standards, my 1952 high school diploma is equivalent to a four year college degree. Common sense was not the rule when desegregation took place.

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4:44 AM MST on Wed., Sep. 12, 2007 re: "Philip H. Gordon: The Bush administration is fighting the wrong war"

Examiner Reader said:
It is amazing how the wearers of the tinfoil hats protect yourselves from sunburn,just stick your head down a hole,and let the world and reality pass you by. The trouble with your naive "Chamberlin "like "attitude is that when Osabama etal.,arrive on our shores, as they surely will if we tuck tail and run, is that your ilk will be the first to go. Your lack of social and moral values will excite his need to slowly saw off your heads to improve his surroundings!

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9:32 AM MST on Wed., Aug. 15, 2007 re: "Matthew Spalding: A way forward for Bush regarding immigration"

Examiner Reader said:
Your Aug. 15 �Scoop� remind us that Cameron Diez was making Chinese propaganda in Peru, at the time of the last immigration debates in congress in June/07. Latin Americans won�t pay to see her movies, no chin-chin and no moral support.

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