Positive Liberty

Is an Authorization for the Use of Military Force the same thing as a Declaration of War? Were the authorizations ultimately written, for both the war on terror and the war in Iraq, reinforcements for the constitution’s separation of powers? Is the debate on this issue mere semantics that could easily be fixed by using the word “war” instead of “the use of military force?”

No. No. And, No.

Declarations of war are specific and limited commands to use force until a specific objective has been completed. What was, for example, the objective in Iraq? How will we know that we’ve won the war on terror?

I wrote about the importance of an actual Declaration of War at length back in January.

But a few points which may not have been crystal clear in that piece should be made here: Continue Reading »