In the recent history of the United States we had armed conflicts in which Congress did not exercise its authority to declare war.  The Korean and Vietnam Wars were examples.  More recently, Congress gave President Bush the authority to use American troops in the invasion of  Iraq.  Even this was not a declaration of war.  Rather, it authorized the President to invade Iraq.  Over the past fifty years of our history, the President has had more authority to declare war than Congress.

            This resolution is appropriate because it serves as a reminder that only Congress should have the authority to declare war.  It was one of many checks and balances established in the constitution.  We need such legislation to reaffirm the constitution with respect to the powers of Congress because over the last half century, we have forgotten that Congress has the authority to declare war.  If it is left in the hands of the president only, one of the checks and balances of or government will be taken away, and the   Executive Branch will have more power than it should.  These checks and balances were built into the Constitution as a safe guard to keep one branch of government from dominating the others.  If more people are involved in a course of action, there is more assurance that it will be in the best interest of the nation and not serve the whims of one individual.

In the course of reviewing bills posted on Politivote, I have seen many that are not in the best interest of our nation.  It is refreshing to see a bill that represents what the Congress should be doing.  The government of Iraq should know that the United States opposes amnesty for persons known to have killed our soldiers. This bill makes it clear to the government of Iraq that the killing of American soldiers should not be encouraged or tolerated.  This bill declares that we care about the lives of the soldiers who have sacrificed much to complete the mission in Iraq.

I consider the third section of the bill a bit problematic because it stipulates that the Government of Iraq should educate the people on the “civic-minded and selfless nature of American Military Personnel serving in Iraq.”  I believe that members of our military in Iraq have good intentions for the country and would like to see it succeed.  However, many Iraqis don’t like our presence in their country.  How then can we convince them of our good intentions?

In spite of the flaw in this bill, it is the sort of legislation worthy of the attention of our elected officials.  It goes a long way to the security of our soldiers in Iraq.