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Let's Be Careful Out There

Richard A. Cheatham's Treason or Patriotism? here on The Free Liberal got me thinking, which is always a dangerous thing.

The column outlines the story of one First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, who is refusing to report for duty because he believes the War in Iraq is "illegal." To be clear, I was against the invasion of Iraq (both times) and I'd like to see us out of there soon. And scanning Lt. Watada's web site and news reports, I admire him. He believes that he should not report for a war he considers immoral, as do I.

But I cannot find why he finds it "illegal" and "unconstitutional." He believes it was based on "lies," which may well be correct, but he doesn't explain how he knows they were "lies" rather than based on faulty intelligence. Yes, there is no formal declaration of war, yet the President and Congress clearly authorized the invasion. Congress could snip the pursestrings on Shock, Awe and its Aftermath, yet they don't. Going to war without an actual declaration seems a very poor practice, yet is it "illegal"? Perhaps it is, but I don't see the clear case for it.

So, I ask my fellow anti-war colleagues: Do we really want to engage in the same sort of hyperbolic rhetoric as the pro-war side?

-Robert Capozzi

Comments

I believe that the US Constitution is the law of the land and anything that violates it is inherently illegal. If Bush didn’t seek a declaration of war before going to war, this is an illegal war. I don’t care what the courts say about it.

Personally, I think an "authorization to use force" and a "declaration of war" are different only in a semantic sense. The simple fact is, Congress authorized it.

Mind you, I do believe Congress would have grounds for impeachment based upon the deliberate presention of false intelligence (the WMD case was exaggerated, at best). I'm not sure what defense Watada has, but I sincerely hope it's something logical and principled, and not just a left-liberal muddle.

Free-for-all (frfr-ôl) -- n. A disorderly fight, argument, or competition in which everyone present participates.

from Dictionary.com



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