Declaration of War
By: Michaeljon Murphy
Director of Communications
Constitution Party of Wisconsin
It is sad to see the results of the latest votes to rein in the President’s unilateral decision to go to war with Iran. TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) at times can make the Democrats look reasonable and the Republicans forgetful of the Constitution. Only four Democrats voted against the House measure, while Thomas Massie was the only Republican to support it (he introduced the measure along with Ro Khanna, D-CA). Similarly, in the Senate, only John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) crossed party lines. If hatred of Trump causes the Democrats to take a Constitutional stand just to spite him, is it a case of TSS (Trump Sycophant Syndrome) that causes the Republicans to run from a Constitutional stand?
I am reminded of the exhortation of Jesus in Luke 11:13: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” My brain makes some odd connections sometimes, but the juxtaposition of those who are “evil” doing good there reminded me of the Democrats in this case. The bigger question may be will we ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to be true to our (constitutional) principles no matter which side seems to be championing them?
The Declare War Clause
Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 says that “Congress shall have Power . . . To declare War” and that Congress also has power over lesser forms of war (granting Letters of Marque and Reprisal).
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Politicians, conservatives and even ministry leaders, perhaps suffering from some TSS, are quick to smugly point out that Congress has not formally declared war since World War II. They can give you a list of Republican and Democrat presidents that have started military actions and full-scale wars since that time, so the only reason for opposing Trump now must be TDS. That sounds a lot like a child expecting to be allowed to do something because “all the other kids are doing it!” Why is no one saying that it’s about time we put a stop to the unconstitutional shenanigans that have plaguing government since World War II? Some of the pundits using recent history as justification were critical of Clinton, Obama and Biden in their use of force without congressional approval. You can’t have it both ways.
You Keep Using That Word
We are also told that the threat from Iran is imminent and that Trump had more than enough justification to address something that has been 47 years in the making. Wait, so something that has been unfolding for 47 years is imminent? In the words of Inigo Montoya, speaking of another “i” word, “you keep using that word, but I don’t think it means what you think it means.” Besides, if there was this mountain of evidence of an imminent threat, then it should have been straightforward to get Congress to declare war. The evidence that Iran was only weeks away from having a nuclear bomb is equally strong as the evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction before the Iraq War. Where is Colin Powell when you need someone to drive a point home?
A Splintering Base
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The war is threatening to cause splinters, even the MAGA base. In his November 2024 election victory speech, Trump stated “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.” On the Tuesday following the start of hostilities, a Democracy Institute poll showed that 80% of respondents believe Trump abandoned his campaign pledge. The results included 85% of Republicans and 73% of Democrats. Trump’s boast that he would stop the Russia-Ukraine war before Inauguration Day did not come to pass. A string of peace agreements since then had some calling for a Nobel Peace Prize. The current war is an about face for those plans. It appears the president thinks this will be over soon, and he will come out alright in the end, but that remains to be seen.
Back in the days before the Twitter ban, Donald Trump criticized president at the time Barack Obama over Iran, by tweeting, “Remember that I predicted a long time ago that President Obama will attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly-not skilled!” Perhaps a current president should refresh his negotiation and constitutional skills. I do hope we avoid the many negatives that can come of this, but we have missed a golden opportunity for constitutional correctness.
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