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I thought I'd say a little something today about a topic nobody cares about, since obviously the Constitution no longer matters to anyone.

I keep seeing a particular topic coming up on social media, and people act as if they care about what the Constitution has to say about it. Most don't. They just want their personal wishes fulfilled, so they interpret the Constitution accordingly.

The subject in question is presidential war powers.

As a historian, I do care, because this is my chosen profession, and the Constitution is a historical document.

I know I said nobody cares about it. I think that's essentially true. If they did, things would look very different. But just in case, out of sheer curiosity or as an intellectual exercise, anyone out there reading this would care to know the truth of the matter, here it is.

When you bring up the issue of presidential war powers, neoconservatives (and left-liberals, too, when they're in power) bombard you with "the Barbary pirates!" and "presidents have sent troops into battle hundreds of times!"

(The "hundreds of times" propaganda came from the Truman State Department, so of course neocons, who originated on the left, are going to promote that.)

Conservatives don't know their own history, because Conservatism, Inc., has a vested interest in not telling it to them. How many people on Twitter realize it was Senator Robert Taft -- known in his day as "Mr. Republican"! -- who objected on constitutional grounds when the execrable Harry Truman sent troops to Korea on his own authority?

Imagine Sean Hannity telling that to his listeners.

Nowadays I hear conservatives yammering on about presidential war power, even using figures like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as precedents -- as if conservatives should model themselves after those men!

In fact, let me list out the most common arguments:
  • "The president has the power to initiate hostilities without consulting Congress."
  • "John Adams made war on France without consulting Congress."
  • "Jefferson acted unilaterally against the Barbary pirates."
  • "Presidents have sent men into battle hundreds of times without getting congressional authorization."
  • "The War Powers Resolution of 1973 gives the president the power to commit troops anywhere he likes for 90 days."
  • "Congress may have some power over major wars, but lesser uses of force are reserved to the president alone."
  • "If the United Nations authorizes military action, the president does not need to consult Congress."

There are a couple of others (also addressed at the link I'll give you), but those are the main ones.

Here are the answers to all of these defenses of presidential power, which I've written as a kind of FAQ:
 
Two other fun things for you:

(1) Most of you know that Liberty Classroom is my dashboard university, with dozens of truth-telling courses in history, economics, and related fields, that you can enjoy anywhere, any time of day or night.

I don't think I've mentioned here that in our 14th year in operation, we've just added two new courses: one on the history of England, and another on American literature.

I commissioned the American literature course (from Dr. Elizabeth Kantor, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature) because it dawned on me: try taking a literature course at an American college these days. You'd want to jump out a window.

So I found a normal person to teach it, and we got it done.

For the next 24 hours, take 35% off with code NEOCONS (they've done enough damage to America and lightened your wallet plenty, so it's about time they did something for you):
 
(2) My friend Mark Starkman, who's a member of one of my elite programs, offers resources and advice to entrepreneurs with ADHD, and tells them: the personal qualities you have that are typically described as disabilities can actually be superpowers in the world of entrepreneurship.

If that resonates with you, I recommend reading his report on the subject:
 
Tom Woods











Mark Levin yelled and screamed in favor of Barack Obama's power to intervene in Libya, at a time when normal people like me were, you know, opposing Obama. 

They want you repeating a series of justifications that they themselves do not believe and never believed. Some people, despite 20+ years of a "War on Terror" that accomplished nothing and which Americans have nothing to show for, say this time is different because "Iran has been at war with us for 47 years." Not even bothering with that one.

I assure you, Pat Buchanan is well to the right of Marco Rubio, and would never have bought into any of this nonsense.

 

Tom Woods






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Tom Woods · PO Box 701447 · Saint Cloud, FL 34770 · USA