Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from Virginia earlier said that the Kucinich resolution would tie the President's hands. Yes, it would. The whole point of the Constitution is to tie the President's hands. The President, not this particular President, any President, must not have the power to commit this country to war on his own authority without the concurrence of Congress. That is the point of the Constitution. George Washington said the Constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress. Therefore, no offensive expedition can be undertaken until they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure. Abraham Lincoln said they--meaning the Framers--resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression--meaning war--upon us. And that's what this really does. Now, over the last 60 years since World War II, during the Cold War, power has flowed to the President--again, Presidents in general. The exigencies of time when bombers were over the Pole, or we thought bombers were over the Pole, you couldn't call Congress into session. And Congress, in effect, surrendered much power to the Presidency. Korea was an undeclared war and should not have happened that way. Vietnam, Congress was fooled.…”