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By C.J. Atkins
The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous. So said George Orwell of the endless conflict that Oceania maintained with its supposed adversaries in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. With Iran’s quick and casualty-free face-saving retaliatory strikes concluded and President Trump signaling no further U.S. attacks, it looks as though the latest episode in our continuous war may be wrapping up—at least for the time being. An imperial president has once more unilaterally used military force abroad without seeking or getting approval. And Congress is left complaining that it should have been asked first.
The danger, of course, is never passed; it’s not intended to be.
With Trump’s surprise drone strike killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq last week, the debate over the president’s ability to conduct endless war is being had once again. Article I of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to make war, yet there’s been no congressional declaration of war since World War II, though there have been plenty of U.S. military expeditions in the meantime.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed a vote this week on a “War Powers Resolution” requiring Trump to end his hostilities toward Iran within a month unless Congress gives him further permission. The conclusion of the immediate overt campaign against Iran renders the resolution, unfortunately, largely irrelevant. And the guaranteed refusal of the Republican-dominated Senate to take up a similar measure proposed by Sen. Tim Kaine in that chamber means that, when it comes to international affairs, Trump is right when he says he can “do anything I want as president.”
It shouldn’t be that way. It’s time for Congress to take back its power to make—and end—war....
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