Obama at War by Hendrickson Ryan C

Author:Hendrickson, Ryan C.
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-813-16095-5
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
Published: 2015-06-23T16:00:00+00:00

John Kerry and War Powers

A decorated veteran, John Kerry first gained national prominence as an articulate and outspoken critic of the U.S. military presence in Vietnam.1 In 1971, he was invited to testify at a meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired at the time by Senator J. William Fulbright (D–Ark.). In his recorded testimony and in an appeal to end U.S. participation in the war, Kerry advanced a number of basic constitutional principles on war powers, noting, “We are asking here in Washington for some action, action from the Congress of the United States of America which has the power to raise and maintain armies, and which by the Constitution also has the power to declare war.”2 In the statement, Kerry clearly referenced Congress’s explicit war powers and called for Congress to exercise those powers.

Another indication of Kerry’s rhetorical backing of Congress’s war powers is his long-standing support of the WPR. During his Senate career, he frequently celebrated his support for the resolution. In 1986, upon the death of former senator Jacob Javits (R–N.Y.), who was the WPR’s principal author, Kerry specifically lauded Javits’s “intellectual and substantive contribution to the issues of war and peace” and for “playing a constructive and positive role on” these issues.3 In 1990, he also stated, “I am a strong supporter and advocate of the War Powers Resolution,”4 and again expressed similar views in 1994.5 On a number of occasions, Kerry, unlike other members of Congress who have openly opposed the WPR, consistently stated his adamant support for it. Based on this record, one may conclude that during his time as a senator Kerry was a vigorous champion of Congress’s constitutional war powers and the WPR. Nearly all of the evidence suggests otherwise, however.

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