Abraham Lincoln's Invention of Presidential War Powers

[someone060288]

I believe that Lincoln's use of presidential war powers was very much justified within the confines of a war. Congress and the Judicial branch both approved his early actions, and so a showdown between branches of government was avoided. Had Congress vetoed his actions when they met in July, a conflict between the executive and legislative branches would have ensued. However, this was not the case. The wartime situation called for decisive action. I applaud Lincoln's boldness and foresight.

[KayBeeEee1983]

@someone060288 "I believe that Lincoln's use of presidential war powers was very much justified within the confines of a war. Congress and the Judicial branch both approved his early actions, and so a showdown between branches of government was avoided. "

It's just like the "senatus consultum de re publica defendenda" (Decree of the Senate on defending the Republic) from the late roman republic.

[RPenta]

@someone060288 Unfortunately, the Constitution did not permit Lincoln to act as a war time dictator, he just seized the power. You are aware the Supreme Court ruled right after the war that the suspension of Habeas Corpus was unconstitutional. I guess you must be happy now living in the Bush-Obama age the endless "war on terror">

[Vostov029]

presidents holding war powers makes sense when you are fighting against an enemy who is your equal. it allows the executive to shift tactics and strategy quickly. a war between equals, especially these days i would think, may require important choices to be made within a time frame and/or at times when a large collective of legislators would be slow to assemble and slow to take action. speed is not something we want in peacetime. in war speed is life.

[cris750]

Read "The Revolution: A Manifesto" by Ron Paul. read pg. 50-54.

[Xenu]

Ron Paul is a white supremacist.

[KoschKff]

@Xenu

I'm amazed. Everyone else here has said something that has at least some intelligence. But look how easy it is for someone to spew baseless propaganda and how the majority of morons will follow.

Your comment is as good as saying "Sponge bob is a terrorist."

If you want to convince people you will have to produce your proof.

[Xenu]

You've taken a most just exception to me, K. Let me present the facts then. Ron Paul had a racist & anti-semitic newsletter that went out under his name, with his signature, written in the first person, published by his friend Mark Elam's company M&M Graphics & Advertising. The subscription manager Jean McIver workd for his campaign. Between May-Oct. 96 many Texas papers covered the story & he never denied the articles, only saying they had been taken out of context.

[Xenu]

His racist friend Lew Rockwell's hate-filled website received Paul's first 'Freedom Website Award.' His newsletters match perfectly with his voting record, his opposition to the Civil Rights Act & the Voting Rights Act, his sympathy for the Confederacy & "State's Rights," with the fact that he's said businesses should be free to discriminate against minorities. This is all quite familiar to anyone who knows anything about the Civil Rights movement. And this is why white supremacists LOVE R Paul.

[Xenu]

He voted against giving a Congressional Medal of Honor to Rosa Parks although he attempted to INTRODUCE legislation to give medals to EVERY veteran of the cold war - metals which would have been federally-funded. He then lies & says the Parks medal would've been unconstitutional although it was awarded to Washington & other revolutionary war heroes (who knew more about the constitution than Paul)...

[Xenu]

... & then says it would have been federally-funded although in actuality it was SELF-FUNDED from sales of replicas. NO TAX PAYER money was used. But giving federal money to veterans of Cold War is ok. He also voted for & CO-SPONSORED, HR5872 "Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act" Which directed the Secretary of Treasury to mint & issue up to 350,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Boy Scouts plus up to $3,500,000 of proceeds.

[RPenta]

@Xenu There is nothing "hate filled" about Lew Rockwell-except that he hates war and Imperialism. The same cannot truthfully be said about Clinton, Bush, and Obama-not to mention Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, LBJ, and Nixon.

[Xenu]

@RPenta Rockwell, like his disgusting white supremacist friend Ron Paul, is not anti-imperialist. He's an isolationist. He would have allowed Nazi Germany to take over Europe and would have allowed the Southern Confederacy to maintain slavery. And his website is hate-filled as is his vocal opposition to the civil rights movement and the American working class.

[RPenta]

@Xenu What has the Civil War to do with "isolationism"? Nothing. As to Nazi Germany, IF Woodrow Wilson had allowed the European Powers to decide WW1 themselves, there would have been no Nazi regime in Germany nor possibly Communist regime in Russia.

I am not a Libertarian so I disagree with them on economic and environmental issues. Clinton, Bush(es) and Obama are not Libertarians and have scarred the American working class with reckless abandon

[KoschKff]

@Xenu

I'm still a bit skeptical of this. My searches aren't turning up anything except excerpts of this letter. No signature, and based purely on demographics. Do you have a link of some sort?

[rtpricetag]

@KoschKff ...The US Congress during the civil war resulted in a diminished Congress without full quorum to operate legally, necessitation Lincoln to to continue gov-operation issuing 'Executive Emergency War Powers' extra legal as not found in the Constitution.

Understand this, when after the civil war a full Constitutional Congress again existed, Lincoln terminated this power. Meaning to this very day when re-instituted by FDR, Presidents have (used) this power unconstitutionally and illegally.

[cris750]

War Powers Act should be only left to CONGRESS alone! Barack Obama should reserve all powers to declare war to Congress and not the presidency. Obama should make this an issue throughout his campaign. Work with congress to change the laws back to the hands of Congress.

[befranklintoo]

Yes we were to become a great nation of understanding of human and the betterment of mankind.

unfortunate g.bush is not abe lincoln and is a disgrace to democracy. Why our strong academic world can not intervene and bring back our roots of meanings.

[RPenta]

@befranklintoo Unfortunately, the neoncons favorite President was Abe Lincoln-and that of the great snake oil salesman, BH Obama.