Political Quotes

Ernest Istook: “I rise not to declare war, but to support our Constitution. Right now President Clinton is prosecuting a war he was…”

On the recordApril 28, 1999
I rise not to declare war, but to support our Constitution. Right now President Clinton is prosecuting a war he was never authorized to start. President Clinton asked many nations to agree to attack Yugoslavia, but he failed to get permission from one crucial country, America. Our Constitution requires that Congress must declare war, not the President. It also states that Congress, not the President, defines and punishes offenses against the law of nations. And the NATO treaty, approved 50 years ago, says nothing about launching an attack. It is not the American way to let one man drag us into a bloody quagmire. I took an oath to honor our Constitution, and I will not stand idle while the President, again, runs rough-shod over that Constitution.
Said by
Ernest Istook
Oklahoma
Source
govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Addressing the constitutional authority regarding military action in Yugoslavia.

Share

Share on XShare on FacebookEmail this quote

More from Ernest Istook

Sep 4, 2003

Mr. Chairman, people are easily confused about what we are talking about here. And it is a very strange amendment that is being offered because, frankly, the amendment does not really do anything. It is an opportunity for people to get up…

govinfo.gov
Oct 3, 2002

what we do in our everyday lives as families, we sit around the kitchen table and we say, this is how much we have, and this is what we would like to accomplish. And we make decisions, tough decisions. I would like for every Member of this…

govinfo.gov
Mar 31, 2004

Mr. Speaker, were we to adopt this policy of across-the-board raises, we would prevent the ability to prioritize for those people who actually put their lives at risk and put themselves in harm's way. I have worked in local government, I…

govinfo.gov
Sep 21, 2004

Mr. Chairman, maybe people do not realize what we are actually debating. We are not debating pension plans. We are not debating conversion of pension plans from one type to another. We have before us the amendment by the gentleman from…

govinfo.gov
View all Ernest Istook quotes

Other voices in this conversation