[Peace-discuss] Senator Rand Paul Calls the Question on War with Iran

[Robert Naiman]

Before we have a war with Iran, shouldn't the Senate and the House
have at least one debate and vote on it? Isn't that what the
Constitution demands? Isn't that what is demanded by the War Powers
Resolution (which, despite its name, is binding law)?

If you agree to the principle that Congress should debate and vote on
a war with Iran before any such war takes place (which also happens to
be the Constitution and the law), when do you think a good time would
be for the Senate and the House to start taking up the question?

Should we wait until after there is further escalation? Should we wait
until after some real or invented Persian Gulf of Tonkin incident,
when Members of Congress can be steamrolled by cable news and
right-wing talk radio? Or should we start having the debate now, when
rational argument still has a chance, so that Members of Congress will
be forced to choose sides between American generals, who oppose war
with Iran, and the Israeli Prime Minister, who wants war with Iran?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/senator-rand-paul-calls-t_b_1386042.html


--
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org