Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power to declare war. Though the president has used the term "kinetic military action," our action in Libya using warplanes, bombs and missiles is a war, just as Libya would be declaring a war on us if they attacked our homeland.
On March 29, I introduced H.R. 1212, a bill to require the president to seek congressional approval for the war in Libya. And while my bill has received strong and growing bipartisan support from more than a dozen members of Congress, it's unlikely that congressional leadership will permit a vote on it. The status quo provides cover for Congress, by allowing the people's representatives to complain about the president's actions without committing to a position for or against the war.
There has been no better time to regain our Constitutional balance and check the president's war powers. Congress is a co-equal branch — and it should start acting like it.
