Political Quotes

“the Founders of our country understood the dangers of concentrating military power in the hands of a single individual. They had seen how dangerous this can be, thanks to their experience with King George III. In fact, the specific charges against the King in our Declaration of Independence, as so many know, lay out ``a long train of abuses'' by the military. When it came time to draft the Constitution of the United States, the Framers had to strike a balance between giving the President the flexibility to respond to attacks and imminent threats and safeguarding against military adventurism, so they gave Congress--they gave this body--the power to declare war. The practices of our early Presidents recognized the distinction between defensive military action--over which the President has control--under Article II of the Constitution and offensive operations, which must be approved by Congress in advance. Fast forward to today; this process has broken down. And for the last three decades, this body has often neglected what is arguably its most important responsibility. I think many Americans will be surprised to learn that these authorizations for use of military force--or AUMFs--especially the 1991 Gulf war resolution, are still on the books. Today, these are, in the words of my friend Tim Kaine, who joins me on the floor today, ``zombie resolutions.'' They have fulfilled their purpose, and now they should be removed from our law.…”