Separation of Powers

by Conor Friedersdorf

Via James Fallows, an important reminder from Gary Hart about Iran and the possibility of American air strikes to stop it from getting nuclear weapons:

Bombing a sovereign nation is a de facto declaration of war. Our Constitution requires the Congress, not the President, to declare war. Simply because we have launched a number of wars without a Congressional declaration does not mean the Constitutional requirement has been suspended

How terrifying that we've gotten to the point where so many people write as if that requirement didn't even exist.