Tuesday, 8 July 2008Two former U.S. secretaries of state are recommending the United States change how it decides to go to war.
They say the president should be required by law to consult with Congress before ordering a "significant armed conflict," and Congress should be required to approve or disapprove the action within 30 days.
James Baker, who served under Republican President George H.W. Bush, and Warren Christopher, who served under Democratic President Bill Clinton, led a year-long study by the National War Powers Commission. They outline their plan in an essay published Tuesday in The New York Times.
The National War Powers Commission's proposal is designed to improve the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which was passed in response to the Vietnam War. Both Baker and Christopher argue it is, at best, ineffective, and at worst, unconstitutional.
A new Gallup opinion poll shows 79 percent of Americans think the president should be required to get approval from Congress before sending troops into combat outside the United States.
Under the Constitution, Congress is granted power to control war funding. Democrats, who took control of Congress last year, have tried to include orders to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq in war funding bills.
But U.S. President George Bush has repeatedly rejected deadlines for pulling troops out of combat.
Baker and Christopher are expected to present the commission's full report at a news conference Tuesday.
VOA News
July 8, 2008
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Tuesday, 8 July 2008
U.S.
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