Barbara Boxer: “it means a great deal to me that the Senator has said these words. One of the most sacred, one of the most humbling, one…”

“it means a great deal to me that the Senator has said these words. One of the most sacred, one of the most humbling, one of the most important--let me say the most important--roles Congress has to play is determining whether our country should send its sons and daughters to war. The role of Congress in war and peace must not be ignored. We can read it right out of the Constitution. Article I, section 8, says the following: The Congress shall have power to declare war. What has made me proud is that the American people understand this. I believe they understand it better than some in the administration who started off in August saying the President did not have to come to Congress in order to go to war with Iraq. To be specific, on August 26, the Washington Post quoted a senior administration official who said: We don't want to be in the legal position of asking Congress to authorize the use of force when the President already has the full authority. We don't want, in getting a resolution, to have conceded that one was constitutionally necessary. It is clear the American people will not support a war against Iraq without the agreement of Congress. According to a USA Today-CNN poll, 69 percent of the American people favored military action with the support of Congress; only 37 percent favored military action if Congress opposed the move.”