WAR - Bypassing the U.S. Constitution in Requiring Congressional Approval

Note that it is Congress who gave up its responsibility by allowing Presidential actions that amount to war by calling the action something other than a war.  Also note that the need for Constitutional approval does NOT apply to treaty agreements like NATO or UN when the U.S. military participate.

"Diminishing Checks and Balances for U.S. Commanders in Chief Considering War" PBS Newshour 7/24/2013

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  Presidents who send troops into conflicts around the world, sidestepping Congress' role. That's the subject of a new book.

Ray Suarez talked with its author.

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour):  The Constitution establishes the president of the United States as the commander in chief of the nation's armed forces, but the power to make war is subject to the checks and balances found throughout the Constitution.

The President asks Congress to declare war, and it's congressional approval that clears the way for a state of war.  But declarations of war are rare, and American forces have seen plenty of combat without them on the orders of the president.

Veteran journalist and teacher Marvin Kalb has taken a look at the evolving power of the president to commit the country to action around the world.  His new book is called "The Road to War:  Presidential Commitments Honored and Betrayed."