Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to support Senator Paul's amendment to revoke war authority. We have heard on the floor that the consequences of revoking authority are vague and uncertain. Indeed, my team has been seeking a reply from the Department of Defense as to whether there were any conditions we should be alerted to or whether this would create a problem. At the last minute, we appear to have a memo--which has not come to my office--that says there are possible complications. Well, let's be clear. The executive branch never wants to hand back authority it has been granted. It always wants to retain maximum flexibility. But as my colleague has pointed out, this is an issue of constitutional authority. We had a constitutional discussion about authorizing action in Iraq and, certainly contrary to my opinion, this body supported that action. But now the President is bringing this war to an end. Doesn't it make sense, then, that we end the authority that went with this war and call a formal end to this battle? The issue has been raised that there might be something that happens in the future. Isn't that true for every country on this planet, that something might happen in the future? Something might happen in Somalia or in Yemen or in any nation in the world. Indeed, under the War Powers Act, the President has the ability to respond immediately. He doesn't need to come to this body for 60 days.…”