John Spratt: “In five conflicts since the Constitution was ratified we have declared war, first including the War of 1812, last…”

“In five conflicts since the Constitution was ratified we have declared war, first including the War of 1812, last including World War II. In the period since then we have had bombardments and blockades and occupations and conflicts of all kinds, civil wars, and war has become sort of a subjective concept. There are so many variations on it, that if you read the UN charter you will not find the word ``war'' anywhere included. The charter refers to hostilities, to armed attacks, to breaches or threats to the peace, to acts of aggression. The War Powers Resolution was written with that reality in mind, written in the aftermath of Vietnam and Korea, two wars that were never declared wars, and its authors recognized that there were some lesser included alternatives under the rubric of war. The War Powers Act gives us, the Congress, an explicit alternative to declaring war, total outright war. Within 60 days of a deployment, when we are notified by the President, we can enact a specific authorization of such use of the Armed Forces. That was laid out for us when we passed the War Powers Resolution. The Campbell resolutions I disagree with and believe frame the choice falsely. They imply that we can only declare total war or withdraw totally. S. Con. Res. 21 takes a different course, and I think a legitimate one.”