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I WOULD HOPE THAT THOSE
TWO SENATORS WOULD RELENT.
MR. PAUL: I RISE TO BRING THE
ORDER TO EANGDZ.
WE SHOULD REJOICE AT THE
CONCLUSION OF THE WAR NO MATTER
WHA WHJ YOU FAVOR THE IRAQ WAR
OR NOT, THERE IS A GLIMMER OF
HOPE FOR DEMOCRACY TO NOW EXIST
IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN IRAQ.
WAR IS A HELLISH BUSINESS AND
NEVER TO BE DESIRED.
AS THE FAMOUS WAR HERO JOHN
McCAIN ONCE SAID, "WAR IS
WRETCHED BEYOND DESCRIPTION AND
ONLY A FOOL OR A FRAUD COULD
SENTIMENTALIZE ITS CRUEL
REALITY."
THIS VOTE TODAY IS MORE THAN
SYMBOLISM.
THIS VOTE TODAY IS ABOUT THE
SEPARATION OF POWERS.
IT'S ABOUT WHETHER CONGRESS
SHOULD HAVE THE POWER TO DECLARE
WAR.
CONGRESS VESTED THAT POWER --
THE CONSTITUTION VESTED THAT
POWER IN CONGRESS.
AND IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT.
OUR FOUNDING FATHERS DID NOT
WANT ALL OF THE POWER TO
GRAVITATE TO THE EXECUTIVE.
THEY FEARED VERY MUCH A KING AND
SO THEY LIMITED THE POWER OF THE
EXECUTIVE.
WHEN FRANKLIN WALKED OUT OF THE
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, A
WOMAN ASKED HIM, WHAT HAVE YOU
BROUGHT US?
WAS IT GOING TO BE A REPUBLIC, A
DEMOCRACY, A MONARCHY?
HE SAID, A REPUBLIC, IF YOU CAN
KEEP IT.
IN ORDER TO KEEP A REPUBLIC, WE
HAVE TO HAVE CHECKS AND
BALANCES, BUT WE HAVE TO OBEY
THE RULE OF LAW.
MADISON WROTE THAT THE
CONSTITUTION SUPPOSES WHAT
HISTORY DEMONSTRATES, THAT THE
EXECUTIVE IS THE BRANCH OF POWER
MOST INTERESTED IN WAR AND MOST
PRONE TO IT.
TH
-- THE CONSTITUTION HAS,
THEREFORE, WITH STUDIED CARE
VESTED THE POWER TO DECLARE WAR
IN CONGRESS.
WHEN WE AUTHORIZE THE WAR IN
IRAQ, WE GIVE THE PRESIDENT THE
POWER TO GO TO WAR, AND WE GIVE
THE POWER -- THE CONSTITUTION
DOES -- GIVES THE POWER TO THE
PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE THE WAR.
ALL OF THE INFINITE DECISIONS
THAT ARE MADE IN WAR, MOST OF
THEM ARE MADE BY THE EXECUTIVE
BRANCH.
BUT THE POWER TO DECLARE WAR IS
CONGRESS'S.
THIS DIVISION WAS GIVEN TO MAKE
A DIVISION OF POWER, SEPARATION
OF POWERS TO ALLOW THERE TO BE A
RELUCTANCE TO GO TO WAR.
WE HAVE THIS VOTE NOW TO TRY TO
RECLAIM THE AUTHORITY.
IF WE DON'T RECLAIM THE
AUTHORITY TO DECLARE WAR OR TO
AUTHORIZE WAR, IT MEANS THAT OUR
KIDS OR OUR GRANDKIDS OR OUR
GREAT GRANDKIDS COULD BE SENT TO
WAR IN IRAQ WITH NO DEBATE, WITH
NO VOTE OF CONGRESS.
WE'VE BEEN AT WAR FOR NEARLY TEN
YEARS IN IRAQ.
WE'RE COMING HOME, AND WE SHOULD
REJOICE AT THE WAR'S END.
BUT WE NEED TO RECLAIM THAT
AUTHORITY.
IF WE LEAVE AN OPEN-ENDED
AUTHORITY OUT THERE THAT SAYS TO
THE PRESIDENT OR ANY
PRESIDENT -- IF NOT THIS
PARTICULAR PRESIDENT, IT COULD
BE ANY PRESIDENT.
IF WE LEAVE THAT AUTHORITY OUT
THERE, WE BASICALLY ABDICATE OUR
DUTY.
WE ABDICATE THE ROLE OF
CONGRESS.
THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CHECKS
AND BALANCES BETWEEN CONGRESS
AND THE PRESIDENT.
SO WHAT I'M ASKING FOR IS THAT
WE RECLAIM, THAT CONGRESS, THE
SENATE TODAY RECLAIM THE
AUTHORITY TO DECLARE WAR.
AND AT THE SAME TIME WE
CELEBRATE THAT THIS IS AN END TO
SOMETHING THAT NO ONE SHOULD
DESIRE.
AS SENATOR McCAIN HAS POINTED
OUT, AS MANY HAVE POINTED OUT,
DWIGHT EISENHOWER POINTED OUT
THE SAME THING.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE HELLISH
OF WAR, TALK TO SOMEONE WHO'S
BEEN TO WAR.
THAT'S WHY THIS POWER IS TOO
IMPORTANT TO BE GIVEN TO ONE
PERSON AND TO BE LEFT IN THE
HANDS OF ONE PERSON, A PRESIDENT
OF EITHER PARTY.
SO THE VOTE TODAY WILL BE ABOUT
RECLAIMING THAT AUTHORITY,
RECLAIMING THE AUTHORITY OF
CONGRESS TO DECLARE WAR.
SO I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE
HAVE A VOTE AND THAT THE VOTE
TODAY BE IN FAVOR OF
DEAUTHORIZING THE WAR IN IRAQ.
IT'S NOT JUST MYSELF WHO HAS
POINTED OUT THIS.
THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES WROTE THAT THE
CONSTITUTION VESTS THE POWER OF
DECLARING WAR IN CONGRESS.
THEREFORE, NO OFFENSIVE
EXPEDITION OF IMPORTANCE CAN BE
UNDERTAKEN UNTIL AFTER THEY
SHALL HAVE DELIBERATED UPON THE
SUBJECT AND AUTHORIZED SUCH A
MEASURE.
THIS HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED FROM
PRESIDENTS FROM THE BEGINNING OF
THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT IF WE DON'T
GO IT UP, THAT POWER IS LEFT OUT
THERE AND IT IS A POWER LOST TO
CONGRESS.
FRANK CHOTOROFF WROTE ALL WARS
COME TO AN END AT LEAST
TEMPORARILY.
BUT THE AUTHORITY ACQUIRED BY
THE STATE HANGS ON.
POLITICAL POWER NEVER ABDICATES.
THIS IS A TIME TO RECLAIM THAT
POWER.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT CONSTITUTIONAL
QUESTION.
AND I HOPE THOSE SENATORS WILL
CONSIDER THIS SERIOUSLY AND
CONSIDER A VOTE TO RECLAIM THE
AUTHORITY TO DECLARE WAR.
AT THIS POINT I'D LIKE TO
RESERVE THE REMAINDER OF MY TIME
AND TEMPORARILY YIELD THE FLOOR.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE