Lloyd Bentsen: “I will vote against this bill because it infringes on the constitutional authority of the President to use the military…”

“I will vote against this bill because it infringes on the constitutional authority of the President to use the military command and control structure that is essential to our Nation's strategic interests. The bill's provision prohibiting the President from deploying U.S. troops in peacekeeping operations without an explicit authorization by Congress for such purpose is unacceptable and quite possibly unconstitutional. Under such a provision, President Bush would not have been able to deploy troops and equipment to Operation Desert Storm, President Clinton would have been blocked from deploying troops to Kuwait in 1994 to stop an Iraqi threat, and even President Truman would have been prevented from sending troops to Korea in 1950. Such prohibitions would not have been in our strategic interest. By dictating how the President should conduct foreign policy, the bill both micromanages U.S. actions and denies the President the flexibility needed in times of crisis. In the post-cold-war world, it remains essential that the President retains his authority to establish command arrangements best suited to meet the needs of future operations. U.S. troops will always and ultimately be under U.S. command as per the Constitution. No Presidential action can change this fact. This bill undermines the power of the President as Commander in Chief, and I cannot support it.”