Political Quotes

“I rise today to support my colleague, Senator Kaine, in support of this resolution before us, a resolution that would prohibit the United States from conducting offensive military strikes against Iran unless or until some time as Congress may authorize it. This is how security policy in our constitutional Republic is supposed to work. It is how decisions like these are supposed to be made. Congress authorizes the use of military force and the President-- as Commander in Chief--directs the military as it undertakes the effort to complete its missions. This arrangement gives the American people the best of both worlds--a deliberative, representative legislature to declare war and a single, decisive Commander in Chief to lead the troops. Unfortunately, Congress has not upheld its end of this responsibility. Our system of checks and balances--while very beneficial to the American people and while giving us the greatest opportunity to protect our freedom, our liberty, and our system of government--imposes a degree of rigor and accountability on Congress, which its Members, unfortunately, sometimes are inclined to shirk whenever possible. This trend has sadly gained momentum for decades, and it has done so under Presidents, House of Representatives, and Senates of every conceivable partisan combination.…”