War Powers Resolution Fails: Democracy Loses to Executive Power, Again
A recent vote in the Senate saw Republicans defeat a resolution to halt President Trump's military strikes in Venezuela, following what The Independent described as 'frantic White House lobbying.' This remarkable display of party loyalty over constitutional principles effectively rubber-stamped executive authority to engage in military action without congressional approval. Remember Article I,
Section 8, Clause 11? Congress's sole power to declare war? It's apparently just a suggestion now for either party when their guy is in the Oval Office. This isn't a new phenomenon. Historically, from Korea to Vietnam to Iraq (both 1991 and 2003) and increasingly through drone strikes and 'police actions,' presidents have steadily eroded Congress's war-making authority. What began as 'temporary'
or 'limited' interventions become perpetual conflicts. The current 'lobbying' simply underscores the bipartisan failure to uphold the separation of powers. One might wonder if the outcry would be as muted if these 'strikes' were, say, hitting oil fields controlled by a friendly petrostate, instead of a nation already under intense U.S. sanctions and regime-change pressure.