war powers, by mr peters;

The thing about abuse is you get used to it. Eventually, it becomes normal – having been normalized. For instance, this business of the president starting wars. Just deciding it’s time to lob bombs on other countries.

This is not the president’s constitutional prerogative, which is the relevant point. Not whether the country on the receiving end of the bombs – and sometimes, troops – perhaps deserves to have bombs lobbed on it or American troops sent to it. Those are considerations used to manipulate public support, especially when it is lacking in Congress – which is supposed to have the power to declare war.

Well, the work-around – used by American presidents since at least the time of FDR – is to just wage it without actually declaring it.

FDR waged war against both Germany and Japan years before the war (the second one) was declared. German ships – including the battleship Bismarck, for those interested in an interesting bit of history – were shadowed by American ships and their location transmitted to the British, who were at war with Germany. In some cases, German sips (subs) were even fired upon by American ships in neutral Atlantic waters. American pilots flew British airplanes in the European war zone before America was formally at war with Germany. And as most people know, America – that is, FDR – provided Britain with destroyers and other war materiel which coud be construed as an act of war against Germany.

Similarly as regards Japan...........more.........