It’s time for U.S. to end forever wars:
Nineteen years ago, on Oct. 10, 2002, Congress voted to authorize the use of military force against Iraq. Citing many factors to justify the vote, including misrepresentations from the United States Department of State that Iraq maintained a capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations, the authorization to use military force sailed through Congress by a final vote of 296-113. The resolution authorized President George W. Bush to use any means necessary against Iraq.
In 2003, with congressional backing, a coalition of forces led by the United States invaded Iraq and toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The invasion lasted less than two months. Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath party was effectively destroyed, and an interim government was established.
Soon after, Iraq held its first democratic elections, Saddam Hussein was tried and found guilty of crimes against humanity. He was hanged in 2006. After defeating the Iraqi militarily, our military should have made preparations to return home and let Iraqis get back to running their country. Instead, the American taxpayer have been paying to support that country ever since. Since 2013, the majority of Americans have agreed that going into Iraq was a mistake. --->READ MORE HERE
If Congress wants to prevent future Iraqs, it should go back to declaring wars:
The. Founders empowered Congress to declare war, but House and Senate have cut presidents loose to slay monsters
Recently, the House of Representatives repealed the 2002 authorization for military action in Iraq and patted itself on the back. But the fact that it took two decades reminds us just how far we’ve strayed from the Constitution when it comes to armed conflict.
Having just thrown off a mad monarch who bungled a fight, the Founding Fathers empowered Congress to declare war. But it’s a responsibility the House and Senate have steadily abdicated, cutting presidents loose to slay monsters. The result is a steady stream of lost lives at bleeding borders.
It was easier before we had a standing army, which the Founders disdained. A president needed Congress to buy wood and time to whittle it into a big stick, forcing him to speak softly at the outset. Now we hand our executives Thor’s hammer, and they swing it like bad carpenters.
Those hot, sweaty visionaries at Independence Hall chose to write flexibility in the Constitution on this issue, and certainly there can be bad declarations of war, as Ulysses S. Grant regarded the one in 1846 against Mexico. Nevertheless, Congress did its job well for 170 years, declaring war on 11 occasions starting in 1812 and passing resolutions for lesser foes like the Barbary Pirates.
This prevented hotheads from dragging us into quagmires or national suicides, such as the original War Hawks spoiling fight with both France and Great Britain in 1812. And buy-in by representatives helped ensure a united home front, not one torn apart by the partisan sniping that characterizes recent conflicts. --->READ MORE HERE
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